Flowers From Oz
by CranberryCrumbles
Summary: Jemima is thrilled to attend a summer festival that comes to town, however, unexpected circumstances bring a well-meaning child into her life who incidentally takes her far away from the junkyard. Now Jemima must try to find her way back home, but will she be able to bare breaking this child's heart? Mistoffelees, meanwhile, is determined to find her at any and all costs.
1. The Festival

**A/N: I know in the musical Jemima wears a collar, so one could argue she does have a home outside the junkyard, but I have seen other stories involving her that explore the possibility that she may have been born into the junkyard and therefore never had a human family. For the purpose of this story, I am following the 'she doesn't have a human family/the junkyard life is all she has ever known' plot :) just wanted to clarify that to avoid confusion.**

**Also, I'm not sure about other fans, but whenever I read a story that involves any of the cats interacting with humans-I imagine them as regular cats during those interaction(s), and when the cats are together I imagine the human..noid...versions we know and love from the musical. Does that make sense at all? Anyway that is pretty much how I imagine those interactions as they play out in the story ;) but of course you guys imagine whatever you want! Thanks!**

* * *

It started out as a beautiful, sticky, sunny summer morning. When Jemima woke up, she immediately was welcomed by the sun shining through her den's entrance; she rolled and stretched out in the warm rays of light with a sense of glee. It was going to be a great day; she knew it. She knew it because today was the first day of the annual Sunflower Festival at St. James Park-a tradition Jemima looked forward to every summer. At the end of every August, the people of London held a giant festival, that lasted the whole week, to wave goodbye to the hot summer season and make way for the upcoming fall. There would be food carts, parades, carnival rides, games, street performers and musicians, and best of all…the sunflowers. Jemima adored the number of flowers that littered every inch of the park -she could never recall a time where she had seen so much beauty and magic in one given place.

Many of the jellicle cats made a point to visit the festival grounds at least once during the week, especially since the park was within easy walking distance from the junkyard, and it was an easy score to find some quick meals, though Jemima was single handedly the one queen most excited for it. Last year Victoria practically had to drag her away when it was time to return home-she could have happily spent many more hours rolling around in the flowers. This year was going to be just as wonderful!

Jemima leapt up after a good stretch and grinned over at Victoria's sleeping form-creeping her way over and waiting a moment before pushing her forehead into her friend's back.

"Victoria!" She whispered with enthusiasm.

"Wake up, sleepy cat! Sunflower festival! I wanna go before the parades start!" Jemima couldn't contain her grin, though it almost immediately faltered as Victoria coughed roughly and rolled over-large bags under her eyes.

"…Oh, that is today, isn't it?" Victoria's voice sounded scratchy, and she tried in vain to clear it. "Jemima, I'm so sorry, but I feel absolutely terrible this morning…"

Jemima placed a paw on Victoria's forehead, before letting out a quick gasp. "You're burning! What happened? You seemed fine last night!"

Victoria winced and rolled on her back-looking up at the ceiling of their shared den in thought.

"…Plato and I were out late last night…you were asleep when I got back. I must have…caught something...-" She coughed again; Jemima winced as a look of pain crossed her friend's face.

"…I'm so sorry Jemima…I don't think I can go with you to the park." Victoria's face washed over with guilt, and Jemima could only nod her head in agreement.

"Don't worry, Vic. You gotta stay in bed and get better…. the festival lasts a whole week, after all." Jemima tried to force some optimism into her words, though her obvious disappointment was hard to mask.

"I'm sure you can find someone else to go with you?"

Jemima pondered for a moment, before she smiled and nodded. She didn't want Victoria to feel any worse than she did…. but truth was Jemima was really looking forward to spending the time with one of her oldest friends. Victoria and Plato were beginning to get serious, Jemima knew, and it was only a matter time before Plato was probably going to pop the big question to her. Jemima suspected once Plato and Victoria officially became mates, her friendship would inevitable change with the white queen. She wouldn't have as much time with her…Jemima was thinking this year's Sunflower Fest would be one of their last hoorahs together as young, 'free' queens. How unfair it was that Victoria had to catch a bug and ruin her plans!

"Don't worry, I'll find someone to go with. I'll bring you back a flower, okay?" Jemima's smile was genuine and she nuzzled her friend's arm affectionately.

"You're wonderful." Victoria smiled, before she sighed and rolled back over-within moments, she had fallen back asleep. Jemima fluffed a few pillows under her friend's head, before she glared at her den's entrance and proudly strode outside-she was determined not to let her day be ruined.

Jemima walked a little more slowly as she reached the fence of the junkyard; doubts suddenly creeping in her mind. She had tried in vain to look for Etcetera or Electra, but both must have been caught up in their own morning activities-or maybe they were already at the park? The junkyard was unusually quiet-though it was still quite early, so it was anyone's guess as to what the other cats might be up to.

Jemima stared at the fence as she pondered, and she suddenly questioned if she was brave enough to attend the festival alone. It certainly would be more fun to have a friend with her, and she had to admit she rarely ever ventured out of the junkyard by herself, but it wasn't as if the park was terribly far away…

Just then, a black and white tail interrupted her thoughts as it suddenly appeared in front of her nose-twitching casually up and down. When Jemima jumped and looked up, Mistoffelees was smiling down at her.

"You're up early." Misto was sitting casually on the fence-shuffling something in his paws that Jemima couldn't quite make out. Jemima grinned back at the magical cat and leapt up to sit by him.

"Are you going to the festival?" Her voice was breathless; her eyes sparkling with excitement. Misto took a moment to look at her, before his cheeks turned a slight shade of rose and he looked back down at his paws. "I probably will end up there later, sure. Aren't you going with Vic?"

Jemima pouted, before she shook her head and looked down at the ground below them. "Not this year-Vic caught some kind of cold, I think. She's pretty sick."

Mistoffelees frowned, and he looked up in thought. "Hmm…that is no good. I should bring her something."

"Like what?" Jemima's expression was curious, and Misto couldn't help but smile at her.

"When we were kittens, if we got sick Jennanydots would give us warm cream with honey. I'm not sure if it really cures a cold or not, but it always did make us feel better." Misto nodded, before he shrugged his shoulders. "She would do the same for me."

Jemima nodded in agreement, before she looked over her shoulder-her nose lifting in the air as she caught the not so distant smell of fried festival food. "Well, in any case, she is staying home today…I can't find anyone else to go with me but-"

"I'll go with you." Misto's sudden interruption of her sentence made her pause, before her face lit up and she clasped her paws together-her tail looping into the holes in the metal fence to help her keep balance.

"You would want to go with me, Misto?"

Mistoffelees's face twisted into one of genuine adoration at her innocent question, before he placed a paw against her cheek. "I would love to." The confidence in his voice, and his affection, made Jemima's heart flutter a bit. Misto then reached that same paw up to her right ear, and in a movement she couldn't see, he suddenly was holding a bright yellow ribbon in front of her face. Jemima's eyes grew wide and she awkwardly scratched her ear-as if the ribbon had mysteriously been pulled right from inside it.

"WH-" Jemima started to laugh nervously, and Misto joined in her chuckling as he casually tied the ribbon around her neck in a gentle way-securing a big bow in the back. "Now you look like one the flowers too."

Jemima felt a warmth grow inside her chest, and for a moment she got lost in Mistoffelees's stare. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of drums being beaten a few blocks away.

"Oh! The parade is starting!" Jemima jumped and her head spun around in the direction of the park, before she whipped back to Misto- biting her lower lip. "We're going to miss it!"

"Well we can't have that." Misto purred in thought, before nodding his head. "Do you want to meet me there while I deliver some cream to our sick friend?" Jemima nodded rapidly, before she gave Misto a quick but firm hug-then jumped down from the fence. "You know that one bench by the duck pond-with the white flowers painted on the back?"

Misto nodded, before he also hopped off the fence, but remained on the Junkyard's side.

"Yes-give me ten or so minutes and I'll be there!"

Jemima squealed in delight before nodding quickly and running off towards the park-her heart beating rapidly as a new burst of adrenaline filled her lungs. Who would have thought she'd be lucky to have the handsome tuxedo cat fill her best friend's paws? A blur of thoughts rushed through Jemima's mind as she raced closer to the park-the sounds and smells getting stronger as she arrived.

The park was in full form, and Jemima couldn't have been more delighted. It wasn't long before she found the iconic bench she was to meet Misto at, and she settled underneath it in the shade-panting as she slowly caught her breath from running over so quickly. Her large brown eyes wandered around the area-trying to take in everything to see and do. Many humans were in the park-most settling in to wait for the upcoming parade to arrive. There were carts set up for food, flowers, and arts and crafts that were being sold. Jemima tilted her head back and inhaled mightily -the sweet, wonderful aroma of the sunflowers filling her lungs and spilling over her with a pleasant sense of nostalgia. Once Mistoffelees arrived, together they would find the biggest and most beautiful sunflower to bring home to Victoria.

A new smell interrupted her thoughts, and Jemima tilted her head as she followed the scent over to a food truck a little way across the park. It was the unmistakable smell of crispy, steaming, fluffy fried fish. Jemima couldn't stop her mouth from watering just slightly, and she realized she might impress Misto if she secured a bit of breakfast for them. Her cheeks turned warm as she quickly imagined the look of delight that could appear on the tom's face, all because of her, and realizing she still had a few minutes before he was due to show she quickly scattered out and headed towards the food truck-easily darting in between the many people crowding the area.

Jemima swiftly stalked behind a waste bin next to the food truck; eyeing the line of people waiting to purchase a snack from the vendor. She had to be careful-before waltzing over and expecting to be given a freebie, she needed to assess the people around. Perhaps soon there would be a sweet old lady who couldn't resist a pair of big brown kitten eyes, who would spare her a few pieces of fish? Or a tiny child who could throw her some extra helping of his or her own meal while the adults weren't looking. Jemima's grin widened as she patiently waited for her opportunity-her tail thumping the ground in anticipation.

A loud noise suddenly caused Jemima to nearly jump out of her fur, and she whipped her head around just in time to see what looked like four kids run into the back alley of a building across the street. Someone was crying, a few were laughing. Jemima frowned, turned her face back to the fish cart, and tried to focus on the task at hand. _'Ignore it…nothing you can do anyway.' _The sound of a helpless yelp made her sit upright and she turned to face the alley again-her eyes narrowing. She couldn't quite make out anything but shadows of the human children, but she knew the unmistakable sound of crying. Why weren't any of the grown humans near her hearing this as well? Jemima winced as it became harder to ignore what she was hearing, and in a move she'll never fully understand, she raced away from the food cart and towards the alley where the children had gathered.

She had no idea what she would do, she was after all just a small cat, but an unknown pull at her heart told her she needed to investigate. Jemima tried to ignore the voice in her head quoting the infamous cliché: _"Curiousity killed the cat, Jemima._" It was probably nothing-just kids playing. There was no need to get worked up. Mistoffelees would be here any minute-she needed to stay close to their meeting spot or else he would think she ditched him, right?

Jemima crouched down against the building-hidden by shadows-and saw the scene unfolding. Three children were crowding around a smaller fourth child-one was pushing him against the wall and saying something Jemima couldn't quite make out-but the hostile tone of voice was undeniable. Jemima's eyes narrowed as she slowly crept closer-her side staying pressed against the brick wall of the building so that she remained hidden in the shadows.

"_Aw, you gonna cry? Cry for your daddy?"_

"_His daddy ain't here-he ain't never coming home!"_

The boys laughed; the one small boy was trying not to cry.

"Don't talk about my dad!" His voice tried to sound strong, but it was weak and shaking.

Then, the biggest of the three boys, grabbed the small one's shirt and raised his fist in the air. Jemima knew what was coming-the little boy must of too, but he didn't shrink back-he glared at the bully with determined eyes, despite what was obviously about to happen to him.

Then a moment came that would make Jemima question her sanity for the rest of her nine lives. With a growl and a hiss, she sprinted towards the group of children and lunged herself at the bully-securely landing on his balled-up fist and biting down hard on his sticky fingers-her teeth sinking in and immediately drawing blood.

The boy shrieked in surprise and dropped his victim-the others also jumping and crying out in alarm. Jemima wasn't quite sure what happened next, because her eyes were closed tightly, but she felt a grip on the yellow ribbon Mistoffelees had given her, and with an unimaginable force she was thrown into the air and slammed against the brick wall. Jemima saw a flash of white and felt an immediate sharp pain at the back of her head.

"STUPID CAT!" she heard a child yell out, most likely the one that she bit, and then before she could open her eyes she felt a jolt of pain in her hind leg-but she couldn't open her mouth to scream or yowl because it all happened so fast-the sounds around her slowing down before they disappeared completely and she was engulfed in nothing but blackness.

"_STOP IT!"_ A small boy's cry was loud enough to make his bullies freeze, and then suddenly more children came running around the corner.

"Darius!" One female's voice cried out, and upon being outnumbered, his bullies made a run for it.

The boy called Darius immediately knelt by the calico cat that had saved him, and he let out a small sob as he saw her eyes were closed.

"Please don't die please don't die.." He gently lifted the small cat in his arms and turned to face his friends.

"Darius, what happened?" The little girl asked, her blue eyes wide as she gasped in horror at the hurt animal.

"He threw her and stepped on her little leg! She saved me…" His voice was dejected, before he shook his head. "I gotta help her."

The children all shared a determined look, before the little girl pointed towards the train station. "We need to leave anyway before my mom finds out we're gone. We can bring your cat to Dr. Bailey's office on the way back!"

With that, the children raced back towards the train, with Jemima held securely by the little boy named Darius.

* * *

"What are you gonna tell your mom?"

"I don't know." Darius's eyes never left the cat in his arms, even as the train shook itself to a start and slowly crept away from the station. "I guess that I just found her like this."

"Those stupid bullies." A friend of Darius grumbled. "How could they hurt a poor innocent cat?"

"Cuz their bullies." Sound logic from another friend.

It seemed like it took forever for the children to reach their destination, but finally after ten minutes or so the train slowly came to a stop and Darius bounded off the train as fast as he could-his friends helplessly trailing behind.

"You guys go back to Jesse's house." Darius turned to the blue-eyed girl, before pointing towards the direction of her house. Apparently, that was where all the kids were playing before they decided to sneak out to the festival at the park. "I know how to get to Dr. Bailey's-it is close enough to walk. I'll have them call my mom."

With that, the young boy raced down the road towards the vet's office and left his friends behind. His mind raced with anxiety as he prayed that his tiny, furry friend would be okay. She was breathing, at least, but he saw where his bully had stepped on her little leg in anger-his big brown eyes welled up in tears as he thought about how much that must have hurt the kitten. "You're gonna be okay, I promise!" Even though his confidence was shaky, Darius was determined to save the animal that saved him. He didn't care if his mom got mad at him for going to the vet office alone, or if she somehow found out he and his friends snuck onto the train to be at the festival without any adults, right now all that mattered was helping his new friend. He owed her, after all.

* * *

Back at the park, Mistoffelees arrived at Jemima's bench and wasn't sure if he was surprised or not at the fact she was not there waiting for him. Her excitement for the festival was all but obvious, and he had to admit it took him longer than he expected to bring Victoria her little 'get well' gift. Victoria had been thrilled that Mistoffelees was taking Jemima to the festival in her place, and she couldn't help but tease him slightly about his obvious feelings for the tiny queen as she sipped her warm cream and honey. Plato had also shown up, a bit perturbed that Misto had beaten him to spoiling Victoria a little in her ill state, and he was forced to exchange some awkward pleasantries with the other tom before finally escaping the den.

The parade had already started, and by the looks of it, would soon be over. Misto's eyes calmly surveyed the area, and he kept his nose poised to catch Jemima's scent, though it admittingly was a challenge to concentrate, given all the dozens of different smells hitting him at once. He had decided it was best to wait a short while in his spot to see if Jemima would be the one to find him-she was clear in describing their meeting spot, by the bench with the painted flowers on it, and he didn't want to incidentally confuse her by wandering off.

The parade came and went, and still no sign of Jemima. Mistoffelees began to frown a bit, before with a sigh he decided it was time to start looking for her. A mischievous smile crept onto the magical cat's face as he imagined how he would greet her once she was found-perhaps he would shower her with a bunch of sunflowers of his own making? Or maybe he could surprise her with purple tulips or red roses-the colors would pair well with all the yellow surrounding the park currently. Misto couldn't wait to see the surprise look in her doe-like eyes either way, and he moved with an enthusiastic pep in his step.

However, it began to take a little too long to find the queen. It was a large festival, sure, but Mistoffelees was always so good at finding things…or other cats…it shouldn't be taking him this long to spot Jemima in the crowd. A black and red queen with a yellow ribbon around her neck should be standing out to him! It was also a bit aggravating that no matter how hard he tried; he simply could not pick up her sweet scent. With slight frustration, Mistoffelees climbed up a large tree and gracefully nestled onto a thick branch-he needed a better view. The tuxedo tom closed his eyes to gather his thoughts for a moment, and to quiet his emotions, and when he opened them, he was more focused than ever. His dark eyes scanned every shadow, every corner of the festival grounds-his tail thumping against the tree branch impatiently. "Where are you, Jemima?" He mused silently, before finally the sight of something small and yellow, hidden in the shadow of a building, caught his attention. His pupils turned to small slits as he recognized what might have been his ribbon, and without thinking twice he leapt from the tree and raced over to the alleyway.

The wind almost blew the ribbon out of his reach, but Mistoffelees leapt up and caught it with his claws elegantly and with ease. It was unmistakably the ribbon he had given Jemima that morning, but there was something wrong. Very wrong. The ribbon had been ripped up, torn, and was a feeble crumpled form of what it once was.

Mistoffelees heart thumped a bit too hard in his chest for comfort. His head turned towards the alley and that thumping quickened its pace as he finally caught his first bit of Jemima's scent-but it was barely there, and she was nowhere in sight. He slowly paced through the alley in search of clues, but none came to him. His paw gripped Jemima's ribbon tightly as he couldn't help but let out a small hiss of concern. Where was she? Why did he have such an ominously horrible feeling in his gut?

"_JEMIMA_!" Mistoffelees cried out loudly, looking around for her in exasperation-his ears high in alert in hopes of hearing her sweet, beautiful voice respond to his call. Nothing but his own echo answered back, as if mocking him.

"Jemima..." Mistoffelees sucked in a breath, before his slightly trembling eyes stared down at the battered ribbon in his paw. "Where are you..?"

* * *

Back at Dr. Bailey's animal hospital, the little boy named Darius watched with large, concerned eyes as the vet wrapped a small bandage around the cat's leg. His mother had arrived and stood in the corner of the exam room with a stern yet calm expression on her face.

"Her leg isn't broken, but definitely sprained. She probably won't be walking normal for a few days. We already gave her some medicine to ease the pain, so that will help her sleep soundly for a while." The doctor smiled at Darius, hoping his words would comfort the boy, and the child nodded very quickly and rested his chin on the cold table that Jemima was resting on.

"You said you found her like this?"

Darius quickly flashed his mother a glance before chewing his bottom lip. His mother's eyebrow raised in a way to indicate she knew exactly what that expression on her son's face meant.

"Yes." Darius's voice was barely above a whisper as he answered the vet's question.

The vet smiled and look over at his mother. "Probably a feral that got caught in a fight with a bigger cat. Doesn't look like she's ever been spayed."

His mother finally took a step closer, her eyes never leaving her son's. Darius was still staring at the cat and obviously trying to make himself invisible.

"Did she have a collar, Darius?"

The child shook his head. At least that wasn't a lie.

A moment of awkward silenced filled the air, before finally Darius lifted a hand to gently pet the cat's head as she continued to remain asleep. The medicine the vet had given her when Darius first came bursting through the doors clearly had started working. She no longer looked in pain, but instead peacefully asleep.

"Momma, can we keep her?"

* * *

**A/N: I know it goes without saying, but I obviously don't own the characters from CATS the musical :) I do, however, take ownership for the character of Darius, his friends, mother, the vet, etc. I felt the need to add a disclaimer that they are not based off of real people and the story I plan on telling about this little boy and his life are not based on any real child, though I am sure there will be those who will relate to him in some way. You'll see what I mean.**

**I, as always, apologize humbly for any spelling or grammar mistakes that snuck past my proof-reading. I will of course amend any that are found after this is published. This story will be multi-chapter, and while it may change, I am anticipating around 5 or 6 chapters at the most. Thanks for reading! **


	2. The kindness of strangers

_Do you think flowers will ever grow here?_

_It's a junkyard, Jemima…only junk grows here._

_Well, maybe we can grow our own kind of junk. Like flowers!_

_You're talking about having a garden._

_Yes! Let's grow a garden!_

Jemima's closed eyelids fluttered a bit as a serene smile graced her lips; a happy memory from being a tiny kitten playing through her dreams. She could still hear that distance laughter of her once small voice as slowly her mind woke up, and she blinked her tired eyes while looking around at the blurry colors and objects slowly coming into focus.

Oh, oh _no._

Jemima was resting on a yellow bed that clearly didn't belong to a cat, but to a human, and most likely a child. The walls around her were painted a sky-blue color, and in the corner of the ceiling a large, red hot air balloon hung that was filled with various stuffed animals and toys. There was also a bookshelf that held all kinds of different, brightly colored books and trinkets like snow globes, green plants, and figurines of pirates, mermaids, and other fanciful creatures. There was also a shelf that took up almost an entire wall, that had various trophies and ribbons upon it; some were the shape of microphones while others were shaped like musical notes. Next to each side of the bed was a nightstand, and one had a giant globe sitting upon it, that doubled as a lamp-on her far side she saw a framed picture of an adult man, wearing a strange uniform, and posing with a smiling woman and child…. that _child!_

Suddenly, panic crashed down on Jemima's shoulders as memories of the festival came flooding back to her. That was the child that was being bullied in the alley! What had happened? A quick glance at her leg answered Jemima's question, and she sucked in a small scream that threatened to come out, once she saw the white bandage tightly wrapped around her limb. Her heart began to beat rapidly as her thoughts spun around-the only thing she knew is that she was somewhere strange, clearly hurt, and she didn't like it. Not one bit. This was bad.

There was a closed window in this bedroom, and right as Jemima was tempted to try and jump for the ledge, she heard voices and quick footsteps rapidly approaching the closed door. No, she couldn't handle any of this, but she definitely wasn't ready to meet whoever was barreling towards her….in a brief moment of uncertainty, she closed her eyes tightly again and pushed her head back down into the bed-forcing herself to control her breathing so that it appeared she was still asleep.

"Darius, we don't even know where she came from-she could belong to someone else."

A woman's voice was clear, and then the door opened-quickly those small and fast footsteps came right up to the side of the bed, and Jemima bit her tongue.

"But she didn't have a collar…"

Jemima's hair unnaturally rose ever so slightly as a gentle, tiny hand came down and began to softly stroke her back. It was getting harder to pretend to be sleeping-_especially _when an abrupt and unpleasant smell filled her nostrils. It smelled like…well, to be honest, she wasn't quite sure. It kind of smelled like the dusty pages of an old book, that hadn't been opened in a long time…. that, and there was a hint of beef jerky to it.

_Oh sweet merciful Heavyside it had to be a-_

"Finnigan seems to like her!" The little boy's happy voice.

_A DOG!_

Heavy panting and the sound of four feet scampering on the floor was matched by her overwhelming disgust and terror. This couldn't be happening…this had to be bad dream…SURELY this couldn't really be…happening…

It sounded like the dog was making its way over to the side of the bed, but before Jemima lost grip of her act and let out a terrified screech, the woman seemed to grab the dog's collar and guide him away.

"I don't want Finn to get too close to her just yet-we don't know anything about this cat…he's an old timer and she might hate dogs, Darius."

_Or they might hate her. And every other jellicle cat!_

Darius shook his head confidently, though Jemima couldn't see it. "She doesn't hate anybody. I know."

"How do you know that?"

"She saved me."

There was a moment of silence, before the bed began to shift around and Jemima's body bounced up a little bit. The boy had climbed onto the bed, and Jemima also felt the weight sink a bit as the adult might have sat next to him.

"Don't think you are off the hook for that. I plan on calling Jesse's mom first thing in the morning." The woman's voice was stern, and inwardly Jemima winced. She immediately recognized the tone of voice from the various times she got into mischief as a kitten and was reprimanded by Jenny. "Though I appreciate that you came clean about the festival in the car."

Jemima twitched as the festival was mentioned. Poor Mistoffelees…

"…And what she did save you from? You told me those bullies had stopped bothering you weeks ago!"

The boy shrugged, his hand still petting Jemima delicately. There was a sigh from the woman, before her voice became gentler.

"I'll talk to the school before your first day, so you won't have to worry about them."

"That will probably make them hate me more."

"Why do they hate you, Darius?"

There was a lingering silence. Jemima heard what sounded like the dog flopping onto the ground.

"...I don't know. I like to sing, and I like music, and most of my friends are girls…boys aren't supposed to like those things."

His mother let out a loud laugh.

"You _know _how silly that sounds, right? Please tell me you don't really believe that."

Another helpless shrug.

"Darius,"-his mother's voice turned more serious, and Jemima heard what might have been her hand rubbing on the child's back. "People who hate other people for being different are wrong, and you know that. We've talked about this, remember? Anybody who doesn't like you because you sing, or like music, or just because you don't "fit in" with the popular crowd, don't have any place in your life. Ignore them. _Don't _engage in fights with them. Boys can like to sing, and like music…you father does, you know."

"I miss him."

"…I do too."

With that, the woman stood up from the bed and sighed again. "We'll figure out what to do with your new friend tomorrow. It's late and you should go get ready for bed."

Darius hopped off the bed, but Jemima could feel his eyes on her. "I don't want her to be afraid when she wakes up."

_Too late._

"She can stay in your room tonight, so she isn't alone." His mother opened the bedroom door, and Jemima listened as they walked away. "Brush your teeth, and then go straight to bed. You're grounded so you know what that means right?"

A very sad sigh escaped the little boy. "Yep. No desserts or telly."

Jemima waited a long moment before moving, because she wanted to be absolutely sure she was alone. She could hear the dog's breathing for a few minutes, and she assumed he must of have been aware she was awake, though he never did walk over or bother her. After what seemed like eternity, she heard the dog stand up with a little grunt and walk out of the room.

When Jemima was convinced she was finally alone, she lifted her head from the bed and inhaled sharply; fighting back the tears that stung the corners of her eyes. She scanned the room again and found herself staring at the closed window. The sun was setting, and high in the sky a thin crescent moon peaked out from a purple cloud. Jemima's eyes mellowed as she stared helplessly up at that moon, the dull pain throbbing in her leg assuring her that she most likely would not accomplish a great escape right now.

"What am I going to do…?"

The few stars that were starting to appear in the sky twinkled down at Jemima, almost sadly, as they provided no answers to her.

* * *

There had to be answers in the alley, but how many times would Mistoffelees sweep it and come up with nothing? The great, magical, wondrous Mr. Mistoffelees was slowly beginning to feel desperation crawling on his back. The sun was setting and still not a single sign of Jemima. The festival was winding down and everybody was heading home. Jemima wouldn't have kept away for this long; she would never intentionally make him or anyone else worry. He had gone back to the junkyard earlier in the afternoon, to see if she had returned for some reason, but when she also wasn't there, and he was only met with blank stares from the other cats upon questioning them of her whereabouts, the fear became real. Something had happened to Jemima, and he needed to find her. _Now._

Still gripping the yellow ribbon in his paw, he pressed his nose closer to the building of the alleyway, barely finding her scent as it still lingered faintly against the bricks. This was truly the only spot within the entire festival grounds that he could find any trace of her-he had spent an agonizing number of hours meticulously combing the entire park in search of the calico queen, but with no luck. For the sixth time that day, he was back to square one and analyzing every detail of that damn alley-just in case he missed something. Whatever happened, had happened here, he was sure of it.

"Misto, what are you up to?"

A quiet but perky female voice interrupted his thoughts, and he winced inwardly as it was not the voice he had been searching for all day. Mistoffelees turned and saw Electra smiling at him kindly, and next to her stood Tumblebrutus, though his arms were full of all kinds of goodies from the festival-and he was holding a bundle of flowers in his mouth. All the tom could do his nod his head towards Misto, as if to also say 'hello', and his eyes twinkled with a smile.

Mistoffelees knew he was past the point of sugar coating his situation, but there was promise in his two friends interrupting his actions. The tuxedo tom turned back to the wall and placed a paw upon it, before frowning solemnly. "Jemima is missing-I'm trying to find her."

Electra's eyes grew wide, and Tumble tilted his head in confusion.

"Jemima's missing?" Electra frowned as she echoed Mistoffelees's words, and her expression became more concerned as Misto nodded. "When did she go missing?"

"We were supposed to meet up this morning at the park, but I couldn't find her." Mistoffelees's eyes then sparked with sudden determination, and his voice became heavy with a seriousness neither of his two friends had ever heard from him before. "I'm going to find her, but you two can do me the favor of letting Munk know what is going on."

Electra and Tumblr both exchanged somewhat helpless looks, before Electra came forward and placed a tiny paw on Mistoffelees's shoulder. "There, now…I'm sure it isn't that serious. Jemima probably lost track of time is all, if you remember last year-"

"No, this is different. I have a bad feeling about it."

Electra's ears flattened at Misto's words, and she suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. "You know for sure she is really missing?"

Misto nodded, and Tumble stepped forward-he let go of the flowers in his mouth, and they delicately balanced on the pile of souvenirs in his arms. "I'll help you find her!"

Misto shook his head and turned away from the cats. "No, I'll find her myself, you can help by letting everyone else back home know what is going on."

"But Misto-"

"Just leave it to me!" Misto forced a smile, but despite all the uncertainties all three cats were feeling, something told Electra nothing she was going to say would convince Misto to come back to the junkyard with them.

"Okay, come on Tumble..." Electra touched the tom's arm affectionately, and lead him away from the alley and back towards the junkyard. Misto didn't miss the look of concern Tumble shot him, as his eyes helplessly darted back and forth between Electra and himself. "We will let Munkustrap know Jemima is missing, but Misto will find her."

As Tumble and Electra reluctantly walked away from Mistoffelees, Tumble lowered his head and whispered urgently into Electra's ear. "I don't think this is a good idea. Should I stay with him?"

Electra frowned and shook her head. "No sense in arguing with a stubborn Tom. I'm sure Jemima is fine…Misto might be overreacting because he cares about her." Electra smiled faintly, though it seemed somewhat forced. "It's best to let Munk worry about it. I'm hoping Jemima is back home, and we'll be able to come get Misto and let him know how silly he is being." Her voice seemed shaky with doubt, but Tumble nodded in agreement, as it seemed for the moment it was all he could do.

* * *

Once Mistoffelees was alone again, he continued to pace the alleyway slowly-his eyes scanning every little detail of every little brick in the wall and roaming over the dirt ground beneath his paws. There had to be something he was missing, and it took every ounce of patience he had not to burst into frustrated tears at the lack of any new evidence. Mistoffelees knew every minute that passed, was another minute Jemima was missing, and the uncertainty of her safety was beginning to suffocate him. With a slight hiss, he crouched down at the ground and ran his claws through his headfur-pulling on the strands of hair, as if that will help his brain come up with the answers he needed. "I shouldn't have let you go alone..." Misto whispered into the evening air; knowing and accepting the fact that he alone was responsible for whatever danger she might be in.

The sun was setting, and the streetlights were slowly beginning to flicker on-illuminating the area in a dull, yellow light. Mistoffelees at first was not fazed by the streetlights, and he only glanced up when the one above his head dimly shone down on him. He took a moment to stare up at the light, as if asking it silently for help, and with an aggravated sigh he stood up-not knowing for sure what his plan was. It was then his keen eye finally caught something new.

Under the light, a thin, tiny red hair shimmered on the dirt ground. Mistoffelees's eyes grew wide as he leapt forward and scooped it up in his paw-examining it closely. It was Jemima's-there was no doubt about it. His head darted back and forth as he gazed over the alley under this new light, and he could faintly make out a pawprint in the dirt-as well as what looked like footprints from humans-small humans, as the footprints were tiny. It appeared as if there were a several of them, and they all gathered around this spot where Jemimas hair and pawprint was.

His heart caught in his throat, and without another moment's hesitation, he ran forward and began to follow the footprints to wherever they may lead him; the not so distant sounds of the train station beckoning him closer.

* * *

Electra never felt tinier as she stood uneasily by Tumble's side, her large eyes meeting the frowns of Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Plato. Tugger was there as well, but he wasn't frowning, he was just running his fingers over his chin as if in thought. Victoria sat off to the side, under a blanket; her face ducked down so her expression couldn't be read. Demeter also stood off to the side with a few other queens-they all seemed to be whispering among themselves. Coricopat and Tantomile were also there, sitting together of course, and were exchanging quiet looks with one another.

"Did Mistoffelees say when she went missing?" Munkustrap asked, not unkindly.

Tumble shook his head, his arm resting across Electra's shoulders. "Just that they were supposed to get together this morning, but he never found her."

A moment of silence passed, before the jellicle leader turned to the other cats encircling him, Alonzo, and Plato. "Nobody has seen her at all today...here, or at the park?"

"Just this morning, when she left for the festival." Victoria's voice was weak, and nobody was sure if it was because she was ill or because she had been crying. Plato moved to stand next to her, adjusting the small blanket around her shoulders so that it fit around her more securely.

"Mistoffelees was adamant that he was going to find her." Electra chirped, offering a hopeful gaze towards the toms that served as protectors.

"Well, if that is the case, then we have nothing to worry about!" Tugger's optimistic voice broke through the revere, and Munk's eyebrows lowered a little towards him. "There isn't a cat more qualified to find lost things than the magical mister Mistoffelees, after all." Victoria glanced up finally, her eyes daring to spark with some hope, and Tugger offered her an understanding wink.

Alonzo sighed in annoyance at Tugger, before he looked back towards Munkustrap. "We should split up into groups to look for her."

"You really think having everybody out at this late hour is a great idea? Why not give Mistoffelees a chance before calling in reinforcements?" Demeter's voice surprised everyone, but not even Alonzo was quick to speak up and disagree with her.

Munkustrap paused for a moment to think, before he turned towards the psychic twins, who had been silent the whole time, and gestured a paw towards them. "Is there anything you two can offer right now?"

Tantomile was the first to look over at Munkustrap, before she tilted her head and nodded slightly. "Jemima is far away, but we can't really say for sure where she is." Coricopat also glanced up; his eyes bright. "What we are seeing doesn't make much sense, in a logical manner of speaking…" The twins frowned at one another.

"You never know what might help-"Plato shrugged, gesturing for them to continue.

"…I see two large brown eyes, but they do not belong to Jemima. They are innocent and young, and kind." Tantomile closed her eyes as she continued. "…but there is a feeling of distress. A sense of longing and guilt. The feeling remains for at least two moons…"

Cori closed his eyes as well and continued as his sister grew silent. "Mistoffelees is restless, but he is currently on a path that feels right. He is going to find Jemima, bu-" Tantomile put her paw on her brother's shoulder and silenced him, her eyes turning back to Munkustrap. "We should give Mistoffelees his chance to find her." Cori looked conflicted for a moment, before a knowing look from Tantomile caused him to return to content silence.

"Well, there you go! Mistoffelees is going to find her-said directly from the witch cats." Tugger grinned, completely ignoring Bomba as she elbowed him slightly. "What more reassurance do you need?"

Munkustrap still didn't look convinced, but he did finally uncross his arms and glanced towards Alonzo. "We'll give him until tomorrow night -in the meantime, we'll all keep an eye out in case either one of them returns sooner."

"Mistoffelees will find her." Victoria whispered quietly, smiling ever so slightly as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I know it."

As the cats eventually dispersed, Cori and Tantomile found a quiet moment alone.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Cori whispered harshly to his sister; confliction shining in his bright eyes.

"Because we can't be sure what we are feeling is accurate. It would upset everyone." Tantomile hugged herself as she shook her head.

"Jemima never coming back here is kind of a big deal, Tanto."

"We don't know that!" Tantomile hissed at Cori, then looking around frantically to make sure nobody was within earshot. "The vision is blurry for a reason. Mistoffelees may yet bring her back. There is no need to upset everyone right now."

"Just wait for them to be upset later…" Cori grumbled, before bowing his head apologetically to his sister.

"Nobody's fate is written in stone, Cori. Jemima may yet return home."

"Or maybe she already found a new one."

A moment of silence passed, before the twins looked at one another sadly-the answers unclear.

* * *

When Darius had returned, he was in his pajamas, and his mother tucked him soundly into bed. All the lights were off except for the lamp on the nightstand; the one shaped like the globe. His mother kissed him goodnight, before she left-leaving his door cracked open ever so slightly. Jemima remained still, curled up in the same spot on his bed, and he turned onto his side and began to pet her. Jemima was still wrecked with anxiety, but she knew she had to wait for the child to fall asleep before she could make her move. Whatever that move was going to be.

"I'm sorry you got hurt today." Darius's voice was a whisper. "But I'm really glad I got to meet you. We'll take good care of you, kitty." There was a moment of silence, before the child let out a small sigh. "My momma says I can't give you a name because we don't know if we're gonna keep you. Don't worry though, I'll make sure nothing happens to you." His voice grew softer, as it was obvious he was very tired and slowly slipping into slumber. He continued to speak quietly to Jemima, but it wasn't long before his words trailed off and his breathing grew steadier. "You'll like it here, I think. We'll take good care of you..."

Jemima waited until she heard very soft snoring before she looked up, her eyes wide as she stared into the sleeping face of the child that had taken her away from the festival.

With a sense of sadness, she stared at the boy's face and thought about the bullies who had targeted him in the alley. He seemed like a nice enough kid, so it did bother her that he found himself in that situation in the first place. Jemima shook her head a little and glanced over at his open bedroom door. The house was silent, and she needed to focus on the task at hand; getting out. Or least determine _where _she was and how far away from the Junkyard she might be…

Slowly Jamima crawled away from the sleeping child, and towards the end of the bed, her large eyes peering down onto the floor. If it weren't for her injured leg, it would have been so easy to jump down and dart away. Now the feat looked so impossible that it made her head spin. _You can do this_. Jemima closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly her claws came out to grip onto the thick bedding as she slowly eased herself down onto the floor-making sure to keep her weight on her good leg. She paused a moment to make sure Darius still soundly slept, before she delicately began to limp towards the door-wincing inwardly as the pain in her leg ached.

When Jemima peered out the door, she saw an empty hallway. Darius's mother was in her own bedroom, the door closed, and Jemima saw the light shining through the crack above the floor. She could hear the woman's voice muffled behind the door but could not make out what she was saying; she must have been on the telephone. Jemima sniffed the air for a moment, but the dog's scent seemed distant-she began to pray that he might be locked in that bedroom with the woman.

Very slowly, Jemima crept out of Darius's bedroom and into the living area of the house. It was a beautiful home, she had to admit, though it wasn't as if she ever spent much time in a human's house before. They had a stone fireplace and a nice fluffy carpet, as well as furniture that seemed so massive and comfortable. Most of the walls where a white brick and complimented by pastels and florals-and even in the darkness it radiated with a sense of warmth and coziness.

Jemima's nose picked up the lingering smell of whatever food Darius's mother might have made for dinner, and her stomach unintentionally growled a bit-it struck Jemima then that she hadn't eaten all day.

_Priorities Jemima. You can eat later._

Jemima ducked down as her eyes peered at her surroundings, and her face lit up as she caught the sight of a lace curtain wafting in the gentle night breeze. An open window! Jemima quickly, or at least as quickly as she could wobble, trotted over to the curtains and ungracefully pulled herself onto the window seat under it-biting her lip and cradling her leg once she made it to the top. Every time she moved, it hurt.

The window was open, but a screen prevented her from getting outside. She frowned and pressed her nose into the screen in frustration-her eyes scanning what must have been the backyard. There wasn't much to make out in the night, but Jemima did see a white picket fence that lined the property. It was very quaint, but unfortunately, she knew she would need to get past that fence in order to figure out how to get home. How on earth would she managed that?

"Are you stargazing?"

An old, slightly rough, scratchy male voice startled Jemima so badly she nearly fell off the window seat. Her head spun around, for a second she saw no one, and when she looked down her hair started raising on her back uncontrollably. _The dog. _

He stood, looking very unimpressed with the little queen, and his bushy eyebrow raised every so slightly at her. His fur was golden, but had white streaks sprinkled throughout it, and his eyes were a faded grey color-the right eye seemed lighter than the other, and when Jemima looked more closely, she noticed a large white spot on his iris. He seemed older, and he was lean, though there was enough muscle under that fur to make Jemima more than just a little nervous.

Jemima stammered, unsure what to expect, but her instincts told her to be prepared for a fight. She let out a tiny hiss and pushed herself against the window screen defensively. Her face became dumbfounded as the dog's face turned slightly surprised, before he let out a breathy laugh.

"Wow, you're terrifying, you know that?"

Jemima's eyes narrowed, and she didn't dare budge from her spot. "_L-leave me alone_!"

The dog titled his head at her, before he smiled a little and leaned up against the wall. "You don't have to be afraid of me-it's been years since I last chased a _cat." _He winked at her, and Jemima's face twisted into one of confusion. "Plus, I don't think Darius would be very happy if we didn't get along."

Jemima frowned, but slowly she tucked her claws back in, staring at the dog with uncertain and trembling eyes.

"So, is it true?" The dog seemed to ignore her discomfort-his eyes glancing up out the window. "You really jumped in the middle of a fight for a kid you don't even know?"

Jemima wasn't quite prepared for this conversation, but it wasn't as if she had a way to avoid it. Her eyes glanced down at her bandaged leg, before she shrugged a little helplessly-she didn't realize she was mirroring Darius's behavior earlier with his mother.

"It was the right thing to do. Stupid, but the right thing."

The dog's smile grew a bit more genuine. "I never would have expected that from a cat."

Jemima huffed at the insult, before glaring a little at him and crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, that is pretty close minded of you!"

"Maybe." The dog shrugged, before he gestured towards the window with his head. "You trying to plan some great escape?"

Jemima frowned, not wanting to answer that question, and only pathetically sighed.

"Well, if you make it outside, you'll have to hop the fence. One of two things will happen- "The dog's smiled remained genuine, despite the obvious awkwardness of the conversation. "You either won't make it, and hurt yourself even more, and give Darius and his mother reasons to keep you here longer." Jemima's shoulders sank as he continued. "Or, worse, you will make it over the fence and _still _hurt yourself more but be stuck on the outside." The dog eyes turned a bit more serious as he shook his head. "Bad news for you either way."

"I need to get home…" Jemima's voice was tiny, and she allowed herself a moment of weakness as she stared at the dog sadly, and he surprisingly looked at her with sympathy.

"You already have a kid?"

Jemima smiled at the innocent question before she shook her head. "No, but I have a…. family." Her eyebrows pushed together at the word, and she closed her eyes as images of the junkyard flashed in her mind. "They must be worried about me."

The dog held out a paw, and Jemima frowned down at it with uncertainty.

"You can't do anything about it right now. It's best you rest and let your leg heal up nice and proper. Maybe then you'll be up to hopping fences."

His voice was friendly, and Jemima hesitantly took his paw and shook.

"I'm Finnigan." He smiled, but then blinked as Jemima continued to stare at him for a moment, before he grinned and pointed to his left eye. "This one. I'm blind as a bat in the other."

Jemima actually laughed a little, before she accepted his help in getting off the window seat.

"I'm Jemima."

"Jemima." Finnigan smiled, before he motioned behind him towards the kitchen. "Want some grub?"

* * *

The train slowly shook to a stop, and a hiss of steam escaped the vessel and trailed along the train tracks. Mistoffelees slowly crept along the platform as he sniffed around the area-searching in vain for Jemima's scent. He had followed the footprints all the way to the train station, and logic told him his best bet was to board it. He had found Jemima's scent on a seat cushion, and that gave him more hope that he could have asked for. It was faint enough that she must not have been on the train long, most likely taken by children, and so Mistoffelees patiently hid from sight as the train pulled away from the safety of familiarity. He got off the very next stop, making sure to pay attention to his surroundings, otherwise both he and Jamima would end up lost. _That would just make Munkustrap's day. _The platform was nearly empty as Misto exited the train, as the sun had set completely, and most people were already home for the day. The black and white tuxedo cat meticulously paced around the platform-inspecting every stray item of trash for signs or clues.

So caught up in his plight of finding Jemima; Mistoffelees completely disregarded the sounds of humans nearing him on the platform. He couldn't be bothered with the cooing and awes of strangers; time was too precious.

Though he will take it as a secret to his grave, for the first time in his life Mistoffelees was caught by surprise as suddenly blackness engulfed him. With a jerk and hiss, Misto spun in a circle and found himself entrapped in some type of cage, though there must have been a blanket draped over it, as he couldn't see a damn thing in front of him. He fought as hard as he could against the metal bars, especially as he felt himself being lifted into the air and taken off in some random direction.

"Poor thing; he looks so skinny. Must be starving!"

An older woman's voice sounded from above him, though it was muffled. Mistoffelees growled and tried his best to peak out through the bottom of his cage-and a gust of wind blew the corner of the blanket up just enough so that he could make out the word "Humane Society" on the tag.

_Oh, Bast._

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! As always I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes-I will correct them as they are caught ;)**


	3. An old soul

**A/N: So I admit this chapter was a bit rushed; the holiday this week kinda threw me off a groove :) and it may not be the most exciting part of the story, but it was necessary! I promise things will pick up the next chapter-and perhaps a much needed reunion will happen too! **

**Also, I can't resist giving a shout-out to another writer on this site: SirPrickles :) We've been chatting over the last few weeks and it has been such a delight to goof off and get to know a fellow CATS fan. If you are looking for good CATS fanfiction, go check out Prickles's stories! (I have quite a few of them listed under my favorites!) They are truly lovely, and absolutely inspired me to start writing little stories myself. Please, go give Prickles some love!**

* * *

To say that Mistoffelees was flustered, was a bit of an understatement. It wasn't as if he was very familiar with the sensation, after all. The one thing the young tom was confident of, in the moment, was that he was a conjuring cat and therefore should have no issues evading the well-meaning, but incredibly inconvenient humane society employee that scooped him up so unexpectedly. He closed his eyes and began to summon some fleeting form of magic, and his hope raised a bit as he felt the slight tingling sensation pucker at his paws, before he was slightly jolted out of his trance; the cage being placed down again. Mistoffelees's ears twitched at the unmistakable sound of doors closing and a car engine roaring to a start.

_Oh, wonderful. _

It would be much more difficult, and dangerous, to evade a moving vehicle. Mistoffelees mused that, considering how his luck was going, he most likely was being taken in the complete opposite direction he should be going in. There was still a slim chance Jemima could have been brought to an animal shelter, sure, and he hung onto that thought in order to keep his sanity. The only thing he felt confident in was the fact that at some point Jemima had been on the train, and most likely taken there by children…everything else was, unfortunately, still a mystery. Mistoffelees didn't like relying on uncertainties, especially when a cat he cared about was on the line.

The tuxedo colored tom listened closely to the sounds of traffic as the vehicle he was currently trapped in drove further away from the train station. With a pained sigh, he knew it would take him quite a long time to venture back. He needed to make sure this unforeseen detoured counted for _something_. Misto quietly removed his collar, and with a flick of his wrist, it disappeared safely. The last thing that would help him now was having his owners called, because then he would be returned home and have to start all over.

_Wherever you are, Jemima, I hope you're not hurt…._

* * *

"Oh heavyside, this tastes _amazing_!" Jemima squealed enthusiastically as she shoved another pawful of food in her mouth. Finnegan blinked slowly as he watched the queen scarf down her second helping, before he smiled and offered her a casual shrug.

"You know, technically you're eating dog food."

Jemima paused suddenly, her already large eyes somehow managed to grow even bigger. This caused the old dog to laugh a bit. "Darius's mom makes it herself…but for me. I'm just being a gracious host."

Jemima glanced down at her plate, before tilting her head curiously at the golden retriever. "She makes you your very own food every day?"

"Twice a day, actually. Big helpings." Finn's smile grew, before he nudged her plate closer to her, urging her to keep eating. "I think it's got…what, sweet potatoes, turkey, carrots, rice…all kinds of stuff. 'Suppose to be better than over the counter, I guess. Good for old bones like myself."

Jemima suddenly felt awkward, and she cleared her throat before using a paw to delicately clean her face. "She must love you a lot to do that."

"She does." Finnegan didn't hesitate at all with his reply.

Jemima glanced at the dog, before her eyes roamed over the large kitchen they both sat in. "You have a very nice home…"

"I'm lucky." Finnegan watched Jemima closely, before his head gestured over to a picture resting on a small table near them. It was the same man in uniform Jemima saw in Darius's bedroom. "I was rescued by that man; Darius's father. I was just a pup at the time."

"Did you live on the streets?"

Finnegan's eyes softened a little, and his voice grew quieter as he continued to stare at the family portrait. "Only for a short while; I was a bit too young to remember much other than constantly feeling cold, and hungry." The golden retriever ran a paw through his hair, before his smile returned. "I wandered onto a military base during a storm, and the rest is history. I was trained to be a working K-9; Alpha 82nd Chemical Brigade." Jemima's head tilted every so slightly, and she scooted closer.

"You were a solider?" She was a bit breathless.

Finnegan lowered his eyes a bit as he continued. "I guess you could say that-they gave me a rank after all. It was just a gimmick, I think, but I felt pride in it all the same." The old dog lifted his chin and allowed Jemima a better view of his collar-a tag was attached that read 'OF-4', it and had a small picture of a golden crown beneath it that caught her eye.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Finnegan J. Baker at your service!"

Jemima blinked her wide eyes at her new friend, before slowly shaking her head in disbelief.

"Retired; naturally." Finnegan winked his good eye at her.

Jemima couldn't contain a slight giggle, and she found herself sitting upright a bit. "What did you do there?"

"A few different things…search and rescue, bomb or drug detection…" Finnegan ran a paw down his chin, before he gestured back to the family portrait again. "I was assigned to Darius's father, and worked as his companion for years…but the army booted me out once I was too old to perform anymore…at least up to _their_ standards." Finnegan had to let out a chalky laugh. "I spent a few weeks at a shelter, before he came with his family and rescued me."

Jemima was in bit of an awe; she now looked at the older dog differently. The muscles that remained tucked away under his long hair now made more sense to her, and she saw the whispers of shadows dancing in his eyes as he spoke of his military life; as if he was indeed a very old and wise soul. She couldn't help but smile a little as she realized he reminded her a bit of Munkustrap in ways; she guessed they probably would get along if given the chance.

"What about you, lady? Did you ever live on the streets?"

Jemima shook her head, her tail thumping the ground gently as she wrapped her mind around all the new information she was just given. "I was never on the streets…. I always had a home in the junkyard." Her almond colored eyes turned a bit warmer as she smiled a little, though it faltered as she thought of her friends and family worrying about her. "We didn't always have hot, home cooked meals…", she let out a little giggle, "and I probably don't have any exciting or thrilling stories to share about it…but it was home. It always has been."

"You never wondered about having a _real_ home before?"

Finnegan's question may have been innocent, but Jemima felt slightly insulted at his implication. "How do you define a _real home?"_

Finn caught onto her salted tone, before he lifted a paw in surrender. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend there. I just meant, have you ever wondered about living in a place like this?" He gestured around them, before his head titled ever so slightly at the cat. "Having a real roof over your head really makes a difference sometimes, you know."

"Maybe…I have a roof at the junkyard."

"Having the love of a human makes a difference too." Finnegan countered.

Mistoffelees suddenly pictured in her mind in a flash, and Jemima felt a slight pang in her heart that seemed to linger a bit too long.

"Any kind of love will." Jemima's voice was quiet, and Finnegan smiled kindly at her before reaching over to the plate she had discarded, and grabbed a small handful of food and threw it in his mouth.

"Touché."

A moment of silence passed, before Jemima's expression turned a bit more guilty. "I don't think I can stay here, Finnegan. As nice as your family is."

Finnegan regarded her almost clinically, before motioning for her to following him back towards Darius's room.

"That will be your call, in the end."

When the two returned to the boy's bedroom, Darius was still curled up and sound asleep. Jemima quietly jumped back up onto the bed and crawled towards his face-sitting next to him and watching him sleep.

"Where is his dad?" She whispered to Finnegan, who remained on the floor next to the bed. Jemima watched as his paw lifted to the lamp on the nightstand; the one shaped like the globe. He pointed to some country that was very far away from England.

"He's on duty…. deployed a year ago." The dog's voice was quiet, but it wasn't because he didn't want to wake Darius. Jemima caught the hint of sadness in his eyes, though he did his best to hide it from her.

"…Deployed?"

Finnegan smiled at her, seeming to be somewhat envious of her innocence. "He was sent far away."

"..Oh."

Jemima watched as Finn's face twisted into one of slight frustration, before he mellowed out and instead turned his gaze to the sleeping child. "I should be there with him, but…" His voice hitched a bit. "I'm too old."

Jemima frowned, before placing a comforting paw on the dog's head.

"He told me to take care of his family while he was away." Finnegan smiled at her; resting his chin on the side of the bed.

"You seem to be doing a good job of that, Finn." Jemima grinned down at him, before curling up on the pillow next to Darius. Finnegan smiled at her in a sincere way, before also settling down as well.

"You too, apparently."

It wasn't long before the old dog was snoring soundly on the carpeted floor, and Jemima smiled as her eyelids drooped down heavily. She hadn't realized they had spent the whole night talking and getting to know one another, until the changing colors in the sky indicated the sun would soon be up. She had decided she liked Finnegan, maybe even respected him, despite how scared she was at the sight of him initially. She also knew she liked Darius, and he clearly made an impression on her from that first moment in the alley. He was small, sure, but he was strong in his own way. For someone to remain gentle and compassionate, despite living in this crazy and often unfair world, really showed a type of strength the young queen admired. Jemima had hoped that she could have that kind of strength someday too.

Darius scooted to be closer to her, and she purred affectionately as she slowly drifted off to sleep, a small smile forming as she allowed all the warmth and coziness of the moment wash over her.

* * *

As the sun began to slowly rise, Munkustrap's shoulders fell ever so slightly. He had so desperately hoped Mistoffelees and Jemima would have returned by now; with nothing but wonderful tales of their misadventures together. There was still no sign of the two young cats, however, even as the sky slowly turned from a dark blue to the palest of purples. A silver mist gradually seeped through the towering piles that lined the junkyard, and the only sound Munkustrap could make out was his own sighing. His dark eyes watched the cloud of breath that escaped his nostrils; visible in the cold air. It was always so quiet in the early mornings….for once Munkustrap found himself hating the silence.

Everyone had been on slight edge since the news of Jemima going missing broke out, but Munk made a point to remain calm and confident that everything would be fine-for once he was glad Tugger seemed to be on the same page, and his brother played his part, managing to keep anxieties low over the course of the night that seemed to drag on, simply by remaining casual and lighthearted about the whole thing. Munk usually would hate that about Tugger, but there were times where his influence on the other cats did pay off...albeit those moments were rarities.

Nonetheless, Munkustrap had been so _sure_ that Mistoffelees would have returned with Jemima much sooner than this. He wasn't quite prepared for the concerned expressions and endless questions that were bound to find him when the rest of the tribe woke up.

"You look like you had a long night."

With a slight flutter in his chest, Munkustrap looked over to his left, just in time to see Demeter slowly creep up and settle into his side. It wasn't often anything or anyone could sneak up on the leader, and the fact that he was genuinely surprised to see Demeter's smiling face, made him realize just how distracted his mind was. Munkustrap fought back a frown, and wasted no time in wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him.

"Very."

"Still no sign of them, I take it?"

Munkustrap shook his head solemnly, glancing down at his mate with lowered eyes.

"Well, he still has all day to find her before we have to call in reinforcements." Demeter smiled; nuzzling Munkustrap's flank affectionately. "No reason to get worried yet."

"Unless your _job_ is to worry." Munkustrap laughed somewhat bitterly, before his smile turned more genuine. "I appreciate your confidence, though." Munkustrap leaned down and nuzzled the top of Demeter's head, before the two sat quietly and watched the beautiful sunrise. "I hope everyone else shares your point of view."

For a moment, the two cats sat together in silence, watching as the last of the stars in the sky gradually faded from view.

"He loves her, you know."

Munkustrap blinked stupidly as Demeter's voice broke his reverie, before gazing down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Mistoffelees." Demeter grinned, answering the question before it was ever asked. "He loves Jemima."

Munkustrap waited a moment, before he lifted his face back to the sky, now in somewhat reflection. "I can see that, now that you say it…"

"That is how I know they'll be fine." The way Demeter spoke was so matter of fact, Munkustrap was hard pressed to disagree.

"I've seen Jemima around him….I'm sure the feeling is mutual." Munkustrap nodded a bit, before he smiled down at her; still holding a curious expression. "But why does that mean everything will be fine?"

Demeter shrugged a bit effortlessly, her tail folding over Munkustrap 's lap as she scooted closer to him. "Young love can face just about anything thrown at it. We're living proof of that, you and I."

Munkustrap's smile grew, and for the first time he felt his shoulders relax a bit. He leaned down and kissed her softly; the sun finally peeking over the horizon and basking them both in a warm, yellow light.

"I know."

* * *

Mistoffelees bit his tongue as the blanket was lifted off the cage, and even as his eyes had to adjust to the sudden brightness, he still managed to glare ever so slightly at the humans who hovered and talked quietly among themselves.

He was in a small room, that looked like an office, and the cage was sitting on top of a desk. Two employees sat and discussed processing the new cat they found. The room was small; it was obvious he was being kept away from the other animals. In the corner was a large, green file cabinet, and on the top sat a fat, stuffed animal of a black and white cat; it wore a goofy smile and its eyes were huge and crossed. Mistoffelees was pretty sure it must have been planted there simply to mock him.

"We can't put him with the others until the vet checks him out. When does he come in?" An older woman asked.

"Not for a few more hours. We can keep him in here-I'll get some food and water for him. We can't really do much else until we open." The somewhat younger employee answered.

Just then, a phone rang from another room. Both employees left, though the door was kept slightly ajar. The magical cat took the opportunity to close his eyes, whisper something under his breath, and summon what energy he could despite his exhaustion. A murmur of buzzing filled the air, and the fluorescent light above him flickered relentlessly. Mistoffelees felt the hairs along his back slowly stand up, and with a quick snap of his paws he felt a rush of air push against his face. When Misto opened his eyes, he was sitting on the top of the file cabinet, and that goofy black and white stuffed cat was curled up in his place inside the cage. He quickly dusted off a few specks of glitter from his shoulders, inwardly cursing at the inevitable showmanship of his efforts, and froze in place as one of the employees returned-a bowl of food and water in her hands. He managed to mimic the expression of that toy cat without a hitch, and to no surprise of anybody familiar with Mistoffelees's gifts, he went completely unnoticed.

"Come on, you. I know you've had a rough night." The young girl picked up the cage with her free hand, hardly sparing a glance inside it, and left. Mistoffelees quickly darted out of the room before the door could close; grateful to find the lights in the hallway still shut off. It was obvious these two employees were just starting to bring the building back to life. In the distance, Misto could hear dogs barking-he knew the first task at hand would be to care for the animals. This would allow him a small window of time to figure out his escape.

His keen eyes slowly wandered over his surroundings, and he made mental notes of the various 'exit' signs he saw glowing in neon greens above various doors. He saw what might have been a reception area and snuck his way closer to it-darting behind potted plants and various pieces of furniture. Misto looked up and saw a wall shelf that hung close to the ceiling-various books, plants, and odds and ends lining it; he leapt onto the shelf gracefully and settled behind a plant-freezing in place as the older employee came bounding around the corner with a phone in her hand.

"Your son found a cat at what festival? The sunflower one at St. James?"

This made Mistoffelees's blood run cold, his eyes slowly widening as he honed all his focus on the woman.

"Oh, my! How lucky she was that he found her then." The employee giggled cheerfully; walking behind the reception desk and thumbing through a stack of papers. "Hold on, let me check…. I don't think anyone has reported her missing. What kind of cat is she? A mix... Oh, with those colors she's probably calico then."

Mistoffelees could hardly contain the heavy thumping in his chest as he watched, with narrowed and anxious eyes, as the employee carried on casually. He tried and failed to prevent his tail from trembling.

"No, I don't see anything here matching her description. I can keep an eye out though, if she was just found yesterday it might be too soon."

There was a pause, before the woman laughed again. "Oh sure! How is your son doing? Oh, and dear old Finnegan!"

Mistoffelees slowly crept forward, and when the employee turned her back, he jumped silently to the shelf on the opposite wall-now staring directly down at the top of her head from the shadows.

"Oh good, I'm glad to hear it. I hope his father comes home soon." Another pause- Mistoffelees bit his tongue. This was complete _torture._

"We will let you know if anything comes up! Take care!" The employee then hung up and called for her coworker.

"That was Finnegan's mom on the phone! Her son found a cat the other day, but I don't see anything for any lost calico cats recently."

The coworker came bounding forward, her eyebrows raised and a big smile on her face. "Oh, how is Finn doing? I can't believe it's been…. what….how many years since they adopted him?"

"Almost seven, if you can believe it."

With that, the two women trotted off to continue whatever opening tasks they had to perform. When Mistoffelees was once again left alone, he jumped down onto the desk and stared at the phone. Whoever that woman was talking to, had a stray cat they found at the festival. Her _son_ had found a stray cat…._at the festival._ There was no way that he, at this point, was going to believe in coincidences. That _had _to have been Jemima she was talking about…. his theory about the children, or in this case _child _was correct, but it wasn't as if he could pick up the phone and call that human back to get the details.

While keeping his ears trained to pick up any signs of the two women approaching, Mistoffelees began to nose his way through the papers at the desk. The woman on the phone had adopted a dog at this shelter a while back-perhaps he could find some type of information on her location _if _he can find the dog's file.

After spending a few moments quickly browsing the paperwork at the desk, Misto jumped down and began to pick through drawers and cabinets as fast as he could-thankfully they were organized by month and year, and eventually he found the thick envelope that contained information on adoptions from seven years ago. He lifted the folder up to his eye level and blew off the dust from the surface of it-wincing and rubbing his nose as he fought the urge the sneeze.

It was then he heard the main doors opening; the cheery jingle of a bell and a man's perky voice saying 'good morning' indicating to him he was officially out of time. With a slightly frustrated hiss, Mistoffelees secured the folder tightly in his mouth and dashed outside-slipping away into the shadows of the street as the sun slowly began to rise outside.

When the employees returned, the reception desk was completely littered with paperwork. The two women gasped loudly at the sight.

"Oh my heavens, what on earth happened _here_?"

* * *

**a/n: As always, I apologize for any errors :) I will correct them as they are caught. Thanks for reading!**


	4. She makes it look easy

**A/N: As always, I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes :) I will correct them as I find them!**

* * *

"For our guest!"

Jemima's eyes slowly widened as a porcelain dish, filled to the brim with hot cream, was placed delicately in front of her. In the bright morning sun, the white steam danced off the bowl with an elegance that reminded her of a friend back home. Darius, the sweet and eager to please child in front of her, watched with excitement as she slowly lowered her head and brought her lips to its warmth.

"_WAIT!"_

Jemima almost fell over at the sudden outburst; comically jolting back and biting her tongue. Darius placed a handful of strawberry and peach slices into the cream; stirring the contents with a spoon that seemed much too large in his small hand.

"I almost forgot the best part." He smiled kindly at Jemima as he stirred, and she inhaled the sweet scent of the fruit happily.

She was pretty sure she didn't deserve such a feast, and truth be told she couldn't remember the last time she was spoiled this much...she couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Jemima glanced over to her left ever so slightly, just in time to catch Finnegan flashing her a reassuring smile as Darius left to prepare the dog his own breakfast.

The young woman who Darius called 'mamma' had woken up before her son, and she had greeted Jemima with cautious gentility. Jemima did not feel at all uneasy as 'Mamma' carried her into the kitchen of their home, and carefully peeled off the gauze wrapped around her leg. Jemima had taken a few clumsy steps around the granite countertop, but she was able to put a little more weight on her wounded leg than she had the day before.

"Darius has taken to you pretty quickly, little one." The woman's voice was warm and kind, and Jemima purred affectionately towards her-welcoming the petting that followed the woman's words. "We will see what to do with you."

Darius's mother had changed the bandage, but not before offering Jemima a little bath-at first Jemima thought it would be a miserable experience, but his mother was very careful with her and made sure the water was not too warm, and that Jemima didn't get too overwhelmed. Jemima actually found herself enjoying the light massaging, and even felt enough energy to bat playfully at the large soap bubbles that danced around her face.

When Darius and Finnegan emerged from his room shortly after, she was a cleaned, happier, and inevitably fluffier version of her former self. Darius was thrilled to finally meet her face to face.

Darius's mother did have to leave for work, and she left him stern instructions about what he was allowed, and not allowed, to do while she was gone. Jemima had only halfheartedly listened as she mentioned to her son that she had called the animal shelter earlier, and that they were going to call back if they heard anything about a missing cat from the festival. Jemima knew that call would never come.

Even though Jemima had allowed herself to enjoy the morning, she couldn't shake away her itching anxieties; her leg was feeling better, but she still wasn't confident she would make it over the fence, let alone all the way back to the junkyard. She also still couldn't be sure of how far away she was from her home-as far as she was concerned this lovely little cottage could have been located on an entirely different planet.

Darius sat a plate down in front of the golden retriever, and the dog flashed Jemima a cheeky little wink as he settled in to enjoy his own breakfast.

Jemima had enjoyed spending the night getting to know Finnegan, since that put unnecessary fears out of her mind completely, but she felt a little guilty-had she wasted a whole night's chance at figuring out her escape?

Her ears flattened ever so slightly at that word. Escape no longer seemed…appropriate for her situation. She wasn't being kept prisoner, in fact, she was being taken really good care of. Perhaps she was going about this whole mess the wrong way?

For the briefest of moments, Jemima wondered if anyone might be out looking for her, and it brought the weight back onto her frail shoulders again…even the sweet, decadent strawberries she was eating couldn't put her mind at ease, it seemed. Jemima knew, if it were Victoria, Etcy, Electra…or even Mistoffelees…that went missing she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew they were okay. She would be upset if someone she cared about got hurt like she did…

Images of her friend's faces played out in her mind. She saw the disappointed frowns and unforgiving eyes flashing wildly at her.

'_You should have known better.' Munkustrap loomed over her tiny form; his eyes shadowed in disappointment as he turned his face away. _

'_How could you be so stupid, Jamima?' Etectera and Electra shook their heads in perfect unison-pointing at her injured leg angrily._

'_This is something you'd expect to happen to a little kitten, Jemima…not a queen.…' Victoria whispered as tears tugged at the corner of her sharp and accusing blue eyes._

Then Misto was there, looking completely hurt and broken.

'_I blame myself. I left you alone. What was I thinking? I'll never forgive myself.'_

Jemima could not handle the guilt-ridden, glassy green eyes of the magical cat boring into her soul like that, so she shook her head abruptly to chase away those images.

"When you finish, I'll show you our garden. I think you will like it!"

Jemima's face shot up at Darius as his voice interrupted her agony; a creamy mustache dripping down her lips and back into the bowl. Darius let out a tiny laugh, and Jemima's eyes sparkled as she glanced out the window behind her-allowing the visions of her upset family to melt into the bright, and beautiful colors of the garden awaiting outside.

When the two animals had finished eating, Darius opened the backdoor and immediately became engulfed in the harsh, yet welcoming warm sunlight that poured in from outside. Jemima couldn't help but think of him almost as angelic like, especially as he cautiously walked over to her and lifted her into his arms; little particles of dust glittered about like starlight around them. Finnegan bounded ahead and leapt into the yard; his golden hair shimmering like flames in the sun.

For a split second, Jemima was blinded by the brightness and saw nothing but white. It dawned on her that she had never before spent so much time indoors, anywhere, and didn't realize just how much she had missed the fresh air. There were no clouds in the sky, so the heat from the glowing sun reached around her in an embrace she desperately savored.

As Jemima's vision slowly came back into focus, she felt her heart leap into her throat- the grass was so vividly green; it seemed unnatural. The humble sized yard was enclosed by that white picket fence, which in the daylight seemed much more welcoming than it had the night before. There were bushes of red and pink roses, and a small stone pathway that spiraled around other various plants and flowers; blossoms of blues and whites, with a few oranges and yellows all mixed in. Jemima's wide eyes paused at the sight of a large tree that had thick, spiraling branches that reached over the fence and garden-it was practically made for climbing! She knew the younger toms back at the junkyard would give anything to have a tree like this to play in-she had to blink away visions of Tumble and Pounce leaping from branch to branch in fits of hysterical laughter.

In the center of the tree, there were some planks of wood that sat together neatly; almost as if it was a frame to a tiny house that was never completed. Darius walked Jemima over to a large tire swing that hung securely from the thickest branch and placed her down on the soft grass. Jemima watched curiously as the boy began to swing nonchalantly from the tire; offering her a kind smile.

"This tree is really old; maybe even older than one hundred! When my dad gets back, we're gonna build a tree house." Darius pointed above to the wood Jemima had noticed before. "We never got to finish it…but we will."

Finnegan trotted over and stretched out on the grass as well, flower petals sticking to his fur and indicating he had spent some time rolling around the garden. Jemima watched as a small pink petal fluttered over towards her and landed at her paws.

Before Darius could continue his makeshift tour, the voices of other children broke through from the other side of the fence-Finnegan sat up quickly and seemed tense, but the moment a little girl wearing pigtails jumped up and waved at them, he settled back down.

"Darius!" The little girl called with excitement, and he jumped off the tire swing to run over-going up on his tip toes so that he could talk to her and the others who had gathered. Jemima watched the children for a moment before looking back down at the grass; picking up the pink flower petal as if it were as delicate as glass.

"It's nice, right?" Finnegan whispered over to her, stretching out his limbs and yawning mightily.

"It's incredible…" Jemima whispered back, watching as sunspots that shone in between the leaves of the tree flitted about them like magic. "I've never been in a real garden before."

Finnegan seemed genuinely surprised, before he had to let out a small breathy laugh. "What, are you an outdoor cat that never goes outdoors?"

Jemima gave him what could be deemed 'a look', before she ran her paws over the grass around them, shivering slightly at how soft it was and how good it smelled. "I get out, but not to places like this…it's dangerous to venture away from the junkyard." Jemima's voice hitched a bit, and she shook her head and brought her gaze back to her new friend. "There really aren't many gardens in the city…even my friends who have real homes aren't quite this lucky."

Finnegan's smile turned a bit more sincere. "I thought you said your junkyard _was _a real home?"

Jemima froze for a moment, her eyes widening as she realized she contradicted herself. The young queen frowned a little as she slowly looked around her; pondering the differences between the kind of life she had, compared to Finn's. It was difficult to fathom all the extraordinary differences between the junkyard and Darius's garden…here, she was surrounded by warmth and soft green grass, a blue sky, and everywhere she looked a cheery and bright flower danced in the wind.

A somewhat strong breeze blew through the yard, and it caused little leaves and flower petals to sweep up into the air and flutter about like tiny feathers. Jemima's ears caught the melodic echoes of a copper wind-chime that hung from the backdoor of the house-it was in the shape of hummingbirds.

In the junkyard, sometimes on windy nights, you could hear the sound of metal scraping against metal. It used to scare Jemima when she was younger; it almost sounded like the painful groaning of phantoms in the night. The towers of junk all blended together after a while; the colors a mute grey and brown as most of the objects were covered in grime and dirt. There really wasn't any grass at all, and most trees around the area were dried and dead, or nearly dead. Jemima couldn't even recall any smells either…the few that came to mind were hardly pleasant. It was, after all, a bit of a dump. Humans don't throw away good smelling items.

To be honest, comparing the two environments was a bit depressing.

…but then there were those moments that surprised you. The moments where you forgot all the grey, brown, and metallic. When the sun goes down, and the stars come out, and the cats dance and laugh together in complete freedom. In the winter, too, when everything gets smothered in clean fresh snow; you wake up freezing cold, sure, but when you look outside and see the crystal snow tops glittering at you… it just has a way of rejuvenating your soul.

Finnegan cleared his throat, and Jemima jolted out of her train of thought. She flashed the dog an uneasy smile, before scooting closer to him and sighing a bit. The silence lingered in the air for a while, before the dog wagged his tail at her and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"You seemed upset while you were eating, before. Want to talk about it?"

Jemima shook her head, yet she offered him a smile regardless. "I was thinking about how upset everyone back at the ju-…..back _home _must be with me."

Finnegan tilted his head at her, before he ruffled her headur a little with his paw, and then settled back down into the grass. "Why would they be upset?"

"Well…" Jemima motioned to her leg, before laughing a little in exhaust and straightening out her hair. "Look at the mess I've gotten myself into."

"So what?"

Jemima blinked over at Finnegan, and he continued once he saw her confused expression.

"Let me ask you this, Jemima: Do you regret what you did?"

Jemima squinted her brown eyes a little, before looking over at Darius as he continued to laugh along with the children peering over the fence. She smiled in a sincere way, before shaking her head at the dog.

"Then stop punishing yourself!" Finnegan let out a breathy laugh, before rolling over on his back and stretching out his limbs-rubbing his lower back into the grass and creating a bit of a green stain to show up on his fur.

"If you were my family, I'd be proud of you."

Jemima felt her heart swell up a little at his words, but before she could respond, Darius suddenly came running over to the animals with a wide grin on his face.

"They all want to meet you-the cat who saved the day!" The little boy picked up Jemima, and she held in a burst of giggles that threatened to come out as he cradled her safely in his arms- carrying her over to the fence so she could properly meet his friends.

They were all sweet kids and petted her gently, as to not overwhelm or disturb her leg. Jemima soaked in the attention and offered them nuzzles and headbutts that seemed to delight them all to no end.

"She's so beautiful Darius." Jesse, the girl in pigtails, whispered in a sing song voice. Jemima felt her cheeks grow warm and she ducked her head down in a shy manner.

When a large and loud truck drove by, Darius lowered his hands and brought her back below the fence, as if to shield her from something.

"I should get back home-technically I'm grounded too." The little girl called from the other side of the fence and jumped up to wave goodbye. The other children also said their goodbyes, and Darius turned away from the fence with Jemima still nestled in his arms.

When Jemima was once again facing the garden, she blinked stupidly, realizing she just had the perfect chance to scope out the neighborhood and completely forgot all about it.

_..Oops._

"I guess I shouldn't be outside either." Darius smiled, before he gave a little whistle towards Finn, and all three headed back inside. "But just because I am stuck inside doesn't mean you guys are!" Darius placed Jemima down once they were back indoors, and she watched with curious eyes as he unlocked a small square within the backdoor.

"_It's called a doggy door", _Finnegan whispered to Jemima, "_pun intended."_

Jemima blinked and smiled widely, making a mental note to return to the yard once she got a moment alone to try and make up for her loss opportunity.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to fly by in a blur; Darius was quite the little entertainer and proved that nothing can top a child's imagination when it came to being stuck in one place. He brought Jemima around the house and gave her a full tour-taking most of the time to show her his various books and toys. He seemed to really be keen on fairy tales, and Jemima ate up the stories he shared with her happily.

"This is one of my favorites…" Darius had pulled a snowglobe off the shelf, and twisted the little knob on the bottom, bringing it to Jemima's face as a soft melody played out. Jemima tilted her head as she examined the picture inside the globe-it had a large green building that looked like a castle and a yellow road, and some unusual figures posed around it. One looked like a giant cat-maybe a lion?

"My dad and I watch this movie on rainy days…it is our favorite." Darius's voice got a little soft, and he was quiet for a moment that seemed much too long. When Jemima looked back up at the boy, his eyes were glazed over with water, though not a single tear fell.

"I think, since you are a guest, we should break the rules and watch it. It will make me feel better." Darius wiped his eyes on his sleeve and smiled, turning to place the globe back on his bookshelf. Jemima glanced at Finnegan in slight concern, but the dog only offered a somewhat somber smile.

Darius played the movie in the living room, and all three cuddled together on the white couch to enjoy it. Finnegan seemed to almost immediately fall asleep, and Jemima suspected he had probably sat through the film many times before. When it started, Darius was quick to point out each and every character for Jemima; his enthusiasm was a bit contagious, and she found herself watching the story unfold with captivated eyes. The irony of someone trying to get home was a bit too much on the nose for her liking, but when her new child friend began to sing along with the songs, she forgot about everything else.

"This is the best song in the whole world," he had whispered to the queen, before he immediately started singing along.

Darius had a beautiful voice, and Jemima found herself appreciating the many trophies and ribbons in his bedroom. Jamima closed her eyes as she listened to him; his voice sounded like bells ringing, and the music created a blanket of serenity around her. Oh, she so desperately wished she could sing along!

When the song ended, Jemima saw tear stains down the boy's cheeks, yet not once did his voice ever falter during the song. Jamima found herself nuzzling closer to him; her heart breaking ever so slightly..

Finnegan was snoring loudly, and as the movie progressed, Jemima noticed the boy's eyes were also getting lower. She didn't know what time it was, but the colors outside were started to get warmer, and she suspected it wouldn't be long until dusk. Jemima never caved in once to the temptation of also slipping off to slumber; she instead watched the film play out entirely -her heart racing with excitement, and it is fair to say she probably didn't blink once…though found herself feeling incredibly conflicted at the ending.

So, the lost girl found her way back home, but had to say goodbye to those she had grown to love…without ever knowing if she would see them again. How could a little human girl make it seem so easy? And Oz had been _so _much nicer than that farm…

Yet she was happy to be home. She was back with her family.

Jemima sighed and turned her head towards the backdoor. With a quick glance to both of her sleeping companions, she slipped silently off the couch and wobbled over to that "doggy door" Finn had pointed out to her earlier.

It was still late afternoon, but the crickets and fireflies were starting to come out. Jemima walked quietly over to the large tree in the yard, and with a determination tugging at her heart, she ever so carefully pulled herself up to the lowest branch.

She had to take a moment to catch her breath, since the climb required her to use more upper body strength than she was used to. Jemima's large eyes quietly roamed over the street she was now seeing for the first time, and she felt her shoulders slump a bit as she realized there wasn't much to take away from the sight. The street was quaint, and all the houses looked the same-white picket fences and green grass. She didn't even see a road sign, and it was apparent not many cars traveled down this street.

Jemima leaned against the tree with lowered eyelids, and she felt a prickling of water stinging at the corner of her eyes. What was she expecting, exactly?

That song from the movie started to play out in her mind, and she found herself humming the tune absentmindedly. Finnegan was right before; she was overthinking everything. Her friends wouldn't be angry with her for what she did…but would they be angry at her for never coming back? What if she decided she didn't want to follow a yellow brick road?

Memories started to flash in her mind at a pace she couldn't quite contain…she saw Victoria there, beautiful and sweet Victoria, running up and grasping onto her paws tightly.

"_Dance with me Jemima!"_

"_NOoo! I'm not the dancer here, you know that!"_

_Victoria had laughed and spun her friend around anyway. It had just started snowing, and the snowflakes were swirling around their bodies wildly. They held onto each other so tightly and spun as fast and hard as they could, the world blurring about them, until both queens were thrown onto the ground; laughing so hard it hurt as they tried to catch their breaths. _

Jemima started to mumble out what words she could remember from that rainbow song. Her eyes closed as more memories played out for her.

_It was Autumn, dead leaves blowing in the wind and scraping against the ground, and Jemima sat huddled between Electera and Ectera-a small fire was going and the whole Jellicle tribe had gathered around it to dance, sing, play, and enjoy the crisp air. The three young queens grasped onto each other as Tugger pranced over and ran a paw affectionately over the tops of their heads-he even batted Jemima's nose playfully with his paw, and all three squealed and practically fell over in a dream-like state. _

Jemima couldn't help but let out a little giggle while she sang-the note ending a bit prematurely, before she regained and continued singing.

_It was the holidays, and everyone was saying goodnight after having a big feast and party. They had exchanged gifts, threw snowballs, sang carols and cuddled close in the cold night air. Victoria hugged Jemima tightly before trotting off towards her home- Mistoffelees was going to escort her, since he lived close by. Jemima felt her heart sink-she really didn't want the night to end. All the cats that had human families always made sure they were home on Christmas eve. Jemima understood why…she desperately wish they would stay though. Misto suddenly ran over to her, and lifted her into such tight embrace, twirling on his heel and setting her back down neatly. She had laughed, and he handed her a small present. "Don't open it until tomorrow-those are the rules." His eyes twinkled as he said goodnight, and Jemima grasped her gift tightly as she waved to her two friends as they left. When she was back in her den, alone, the sadness returned, and she caved into temptation-her paws ripping open the little box. A little white note popped up out of the box that read, 'I told you to wait until tomorrow!' before the whole gift exploded and Jemima was suddenly showered in bright red poinsettia petals, and glitter. She had laughed hard at that. Misto had laughed pretty hard too when he saw her covered in glitter the next morning. It took her weeks to get that glitter out of her fur._

Jemima opened her eyes as she continued to sing softly.

Below her, a flock of lightening bugs lazily drifted over a large rosebush and were startled by a bat zooming haphazardly overhead, and they all fluttered quickly to hide inside the blossoms, making the roses glow with pale illumination. Jemima crooned softly and continued to sing; she couldn't remember the last time she saw something as lovely.

Right as she was about to reach the end of the song, something suddenly made her freeze. A warm breeze blew around her, and with it the faintest scent of peppermint tickled her nose, and Jemima found herself dumbly looking around the garden just in case there was a plant growing nearby that would explain it. She knew; however, she would have noticed the smell earlier that afternoon…. because the only time she ever smelled such a sweet and wonderful scent was when…

"_JEMIMA!"_

Her hair stood on end, and Jemima whipped her neck around so fast she actually heard one of her bones popping quickly. She saw a blur of black and white leaping up onto the fence and towards her-arms outreached. Her eyes welled up so quickly with tears, and she could hardly process what was happening-she could only let out a large sob as Mistoffelees suddenly sprang up and grabbed her tightly.

The two cats fell from the branch, the tom managing to whirl their bodies around in the air, so he took the brunt of the fall as they landed on the soft ground-holding her tightly against his chest. All the fireflies that had been settled into the flowers shot up and zoomed into the air around them.

Jemima jolted herself upright and swallowed down a second sob that threatened to break through her laughing, her whiskers trembling as she stared down into Mistoffelees sea-green eyes – her tears falling gracefully down onto his rosy cheeks.

"I finally found you!" Misto cried, his paws gripping onto her arms as he sat up abruptly with her, wrapping his arms around her neck and pushing his face down into her shoulder. "I found you! You're beautiful, you're really here, aren't you? I've been so worried! You're really here!"

Misto's voice was breaking and Jemima pulled back so that he didn't have to speak into her shoulder-but when she did, she paused at his expression. His eyes were so heavy, and his whole body was trembling. Jemima suddenly looked concerned as he swayed a bit-and she had to hold him steady.

"I found you Jemima-I _finally_ found you…" His voice was sweet, but it cracked, and his words became slightly slurred.

"Misto-" Jemima whispered in concern, and she swallowed hard-letting out a large gasp as he suddenly flopped back down into the flowers-his eyes rolling into the back of his head as exhaustion claimed him.

"_MISTOFFELEES!"_

* * *

**A/N: In case anybody was curious, the version of "Over the Rainbow" that I imagined during Jamima's scene up there was the version sung by Jewel :) 10/10 recommend you check it out! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Don't cats land on their feet?

**A/N: So, funny, I tend to have quite a talent for spelling the names wrong of CATS characters. Hah! How embarrassing! My autocorrect doesn't quite know what to do with these creative names, so it has a habit of changing "Jemima" to "Jamima" and it went unnoticed by me for so long! I am so very sorry for that! I have gone through ALL my stories and corrected this. Munkustrap was another victim. I apologize; rest assured I am keeping a keen eye out for it!**

**For any other spelling mistakes, I apologize. I will correct them as I find them :)**

_**ALSO! If anybody has had the pleasure of reading "The Epic Jellicle Snowball War" by SirPrickles you will catch a small Easter egg I've thrown into this chapter :) That is one of my favorite CATS stories on this site, and it inspired my adoration for Misto and Jemima as a pair! Go enjoy it!**_

* * *

_Earlier…_

Mistoffelees ran frantically through the busy streets, in between cars and buses, ignoring the blaring honking that ensued as he desperately gripped that manila folder within his sharp teeth and searched for a safe spot to gather his sanity. The sun had not come up completely yet, and the relentlessly bright headlights of traffic nearly blinded him; he was honestly lucky he didn't end up flat as a pancake on the road. At one point, a green car had slammed on the breaks so quickly, it caused a bit of mud to splash up against Misto's side-and another truck, going the opposite way, blew by him in a whirl and left him spinning in a cloud of exhaust fumes and smoke.

After making it to a sidewalk, Misto ducked behind a large dumpster that was positioned towards the back of a closed coffee shop. The black and white tom finally released the folder from his grip and inhaled heavily as he tried to settle his nerves and catch his breath; coughing out a bit of smoke that got caught in his throat. His heart was beating so quickly that he could hear it pounding unevenly in his ears, which were still ringing from those loud car horns. His paws rested on top of the folder, leaving dirty prints across it, and he blinked away the green and red spots that danced within his vision.

Mistoffelees shook out his face and flipped open the file; glaring down at the paperwork with raw determination. He didn't know what this dog looked like, but he at least knew how to spell, so he quickly began to sort through all the papers-his eyes scanning every paragraph and line in search of the name the shelter employee had so casually said: _Finnegan_.

After a few minutes, Misto felt his anxieties beginning to raise as file after file proved fruitless. For the first time in a long while, the magical cat began to doubt his choices-suddenly questioning if he had actually heard the conversation correctly, and wondering if he was wasting more time trying to find some insignificant dog that would end up meaning nothing to Jemima in the end.

_You need to calm your nerves, Misto. You're useless otherwise_…

Misto tried in vain to listen to the voice in his head; knowing full well how exhausted and hungry he was. His actions became a bit more frantic-his paws hastily throwing aside anything that lacked what he needed. It wasn't long before he found himself in a nest of crinkled and dirty papers, though he barely noticed; his green eyes never lost focus of each new file he brought to his face to scan.

_Finnegan, Finnegan, Finnegan…._

After a while, the coffee shop had opened to the public, and without warning a back door swung open as an employee lazily threw a bag of garbage into the dumpster by Misto. The breeze that followed from the door slamming open and closed caused all the papers around the cat to fly up into the air-including the ones left in the folder. Mistoffelees let out an agonized hiss as he jumped up and chased the papers around-the hair on his back standing upright in a frazzled manner.

The papers flew about like they had a mind of their own, and after leaping around and trying to catch them all in vain, Misto eventually found himself freezing in place and watching them scatter about with a defeated expression. His heart fell into the pit of his stomach, and he ran his claws through his headfur painfully; biting back any frustrated tears that threatened to spill from the corner of his eyes.

He was failing Jemima, and this was just unacceptable. He needed to regain control of himself.

Mistoffelees relaxed his posture, and slowly sucked in a breath that he held for a few seconds-closing his eyes as he blocked out the sounds of traffic around him. In his mind, he saw Jemima smiling at him, with those caramel colored eyes that always radiated nothing but warmth and sweetness. Misto slowly raised a paw and held it high above his head-his claws reaching out into the air. The papers still danced wildly about him as he stood frozen a moment; his mind and heart focusing only on the missing black and red queen. Misto did not notice that the wind changed, and gradually the papers started to fly in a spiral around his small frame.

_Help me find her!_

Mistoffelees felt his heart skipping a few beats; he saw Jemima running and playing in the sun, laughing and reaching out to him. He heard her happily calling his name over and over again-as if she was searching for him too.

"_Try to catch me, Magically Mister Mistoffelees!" _

Jemima's voice was crystal clear and echoed through his thoughts. The papers started to circle faster and faster, yet none graced his outreached paw.

A memory from last winter of the two of them running through the snow played out in his mind; it felt so real he could almost taste the snowflakes on his tongue. Jemima was laughing loudly and turned to throw a snowball at him, and he reached out to try and catch her-

"_You call this a snowball fight?" She was laughing. "Winner takes all! Don't go easy on me!" _

She had a bit of snow stuck to her nose, and he tried to get closer to kiss it away.

Just then, one of the papers flew into his face and smothered him. The memories came to a screeching halt, and the paw that had just been reaching for Jemima flailed about as he fought to keep his balance. All the other papers suddenly froze and fell to the ground anticlimactically. Mistoffelees stumbled backwards against the wall behind him and ripped the one piece of paper off his face-crumbling it his paw as his wide eyes scanned his surroundings.

The air was still as death, and Misto felt his eyelids grow heavy as he let out a defeated sigh, the magic that had been teasing at his senses now seemingly gone.

He had no choice; he would need to start over. As much as the reality tempted the tom to walk into oncoming traffic, he knew he would still persevere. Mistoffelees was not going to stop until he found her.

With a little crack of his neck, Misto stood up and stretched out his limbs-glaring down at the crumpled paper in his paw as bags formed under his eyes. He went to go throw the paper away, but something made him stop-he could faintly make out the letters "Fi"-and without really holding much hope, he unfolded the paper to examine it.

Misto's jaw dropped slightly as his eyes roamed the name "Finnegan" that was typed in bold, black print. In the top right corner of the paper, a small picture of a friendly looking yellow dog stared back at him.

As Mistoffelees registered what he was seeing, he could almost hear a crack of lightening erupt in his heart. That was all it took for the exhausted cat to find the burst of energy he needed, and suddenly he was lighter than air as he ran from the dumpster and back out onto the sidewalk. He managed to evade the humans around him and darted between their heavy steps with ease; as if it was a game. After a few minutes, he saw a bus stop at the corner and raced towards it-hopping onto the blue bench and peering up at the map of routes that was displayed above him.

A little old woman had been sitting there, and she gaped at Mistoffelees with wide eyes, but he ignored her completely. Misto's head bobbed up and down in between the map of the bus routes, and the paper in his paws, and he leaned up on his toes while pushing his nose against the glass; his eyes scanning the street he needed to find and making a mental note of the ways to get there. The old woman let out a tiny hiccup as Misto, in his newly found triumph, jumped off the bus bench and rubbed his side against her ankles affectionately; leaving a trail of dirt on her socks before running off quickly and vanishing from sight. The old woman blinked slowly, before she awkwardly turned over her thermos and poured out her coffee onto the sidewalk. She was pretty confident that when you start seeing cats using maps, it is time to lay off the caffeine.

The sun was now shining in the cloudless sky, and it seemed that summer intended to go out on a high note as the temperature quickly rose and began to warm the pavement beneath Misto's feet. It didn't matter, not if it was hot or that he had miles and miles to go, or that he hadn't slept or had anything to eat at all since the day before-he finally had a road to follow and knew he would find Jemima at the end of it. He just _knew. _

Every so often, Mistoffelees would find another bus stop along the way, and he would pause for a moment to make sure he was still going in the right direction. The black and white cat was dripping with sweat and grime, and the bottom of his paws were beginning to turn red and raw, but every mile that brought him closer to Jemima was another mile behind him, and that released enough adrenaline that he didn't even feel the aches and pains after a while. By the time he finally did reach the correct street, it was late afternoon, and everything was basked in a pale-yellow light.

Misto slowed down and panted as his eyes scanned the houses lining both ends of the street; they all looked perfectly delightful and welcoming-as if he had walked into the pages of a storybook. He sucked in heavy breaths while carefully hovering by every fence-his nose itching to evade the heavy floral scents that every yard offered him, while trying to catch any hint of Jemima.

His muscles were starting to tremble, and his tail dragged pathetically behind him, but the tom kept walking-even as he eventually found himself having to limp weakly. At one-point Mistoffelees's eyes caught the sight of a black bat flying above him, and for some reason he paused to watch it for a moment, lifting a paw and rubbing his nose as he swallowed down a sigh. The sun would begin to set soon.

It was then the distant echo of a song tickled at his ears, and Misto's eyes refocused again as he stood upright and listened; alerted.

_Jemima_.

His heart let out one mighty thump, and then Mistoffelees raced, blind to the bleeding of his paws and throbbing of his bones. The singing became louder as he neared.

"JEMIMA!" His voice was cracked but he felt his mouth forming into a wide grin as he began to laugh breathlessly while he ran. When he finally could smell the delicate undertones of lemons and fresh cut grass, he knew he had found her; that was the scent he had been aching to find ever since the morning of the festival.

And then there she was, sitting so innocently in a tree and singing up to the sky, and Mistoffelees would have sworn he had suddenly sprouted wings, because within seconds he was flying in the air towards her-he couldn't even recall making the leap, but nonetheless he reached for her eagerly; droplets of water falling from the corner of his eyes.

"_JEMIMA!"_

Then they were together; he grabbed her so tightly and they fell onto the ground beneath the tree-he had just a moment to look into her beautiful eyes and listen to her crying and laughing. Misto pushed his head into her shoulder and rubbed his wet face into her fur-reassuring himself she was really there. Jemima had pulled away just so that she could look at him and she might have said something, but he didn't hear it. Misto held her arms, and he let out another sound that was somewhere between a cry and laugh before he fell backwards and into a blackness.

"_Misto!"_

* * *

Jemima shook the shoulders of her fallen friend; her face twisted in concern as she tried in vain to spur him. Her face was still flushed, and she hadn't quite caught her breath, but nonetheless her excitement immediately soured into concern as she gently began to pat the tom's cheeks. Mistoffelees looked…. horrid, to be honest. Like he had been to hell and back. His fur was damp and oily, and the usual pristine white of his coat was soiled by spots of dark grey and brown. Jemima lifted one of his paws and let out a tiny gasp as she saw dried blood caked on his palms; the sensitive skin having been worn down.

Yet, despite being completely dead to the world, a smile still graced his lips.

"Oh, Mistoffelees…" Jemima carefully combed back some of the headfur away from his eyes; wincing as she noticed the large bags underneath them.

It was then that she heard the sound of tires on gravel, and her head shot up just in time to see a car pulling into the driveway of Darius's home. Before Jemima could process a thought, she heard Finnegan bark from inside and realized Darius's mother must have been returning home from work.

"Oh _no."_

Jemima gawked down at Mistoffelees quickly before she bit her lip, knowing she couldn't allow him to be found, given what unpredictability would follow. With a tiny whimper, Jemima scooped her arms up under Mistoffelees's shoulders-allowing his head to balance delicately on her shoulder-and she pulled him behind the large tree and out of sight.

Once Jemima felt confident that Misto would remain hidden, she rushed back in through the little door, trying desperately to form some sort of plan. Finnegan and Darius were both awake now, and barely noticed her as she darted back inside. Jemima paced awkwardly in front of the backdoor, and she waited until Darius and his mother started talking about their day before she raced over to Finnegan.

"_I need help!" _Jemima whispered harshly, grabbing the dog's arm and shaking it hard enough that his whole body jerked awkwardly.

"_What?" _Finnegan glanced between Jemima and his humans, before carefully peeling her off his arm and taking her shoulders; his eyes searching her expression curiously. _"What's wrong?"_

Jemima winced and leaned up on her tip toes to whisper into Finnegan's ear; keeping one eye trained on the backdoor. As she hastily explained that there was an unconscious cat outside, Finnegan's mouth turned into a straight line and he stared at her in a dumbfounded way.

"Ah…uh, okay. Let me just…think for a second." Finnegan scratched his head and ignored Jemima as she bounced up and down frantically. After a few seconds, he smiled and winked at her; lifting a paw to stop her anxious movements.

"Stay here."

Jemima most definitely did not want to just stay there, but before she could protest Finnegan started letting out little whines and walked over to the backdoor and began scratching at it pathetically. Jemima realized he was too large to fit into the doggy door himself, and within moments Darius's mother came over and opened the door for Finnegan-her attention never leaving her son.

"It is the last weekend of summer-what do you say we go get some ice cream?"

Jemima ran over to also make it outside, but the door closed before she could, and Darius came over to pick her up nonchalantly as he answered his mother.

"Before dinner?"

Jemima tried desperately to look over her shoulder towards the window, but she could not see Finnegan at all. She bit her lip and wiggled around in Darius's grip-he didn't seem to notice her urgency to get down, and if it had been _anyone _else, she would have used her claws to get her point across. She just couldn't bring herself to do that to him.

"No, the ice cream will _be_ our dinner." Darius let out a cheer and his mother laughed, and he finally set Jemima down. She twirled around and tried to make a jump for the window ledge, but her leg was still weak enough that it gave out on her, and she clumsily stumbled back onto the floor.

Darius's mother opened the door and whistled for Finn to come back inside, and held it open, but her face was still turned towards Darius-asking him to go get a pair of shoes on. She, nor Jemima, ever saw the sight of a black and white cat being thrown offhandedly up into the air-landing within the unfinished tree house with an unceremonious 'thud'.

Finnegan came trotting back inside as innocent as ever, and he placed a paw over Jemima's mouth before she could assault him with questions. Jemima's tail began to thump against the floor angrily, but Finn still held her in place, shooting her a knowing look and shaking his head-signaling for her to wait a moment.

Jemima could barely register Darius saying goodbye and telling the two animals to be good, before he and his mother vanished out the front door and headed for the car. The moment the door was closed, Jemima spun around and dashed to get outside, but Finnegan grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back quickly.

"Wait a second!" His voice was harsh, and he glared down at the cat impatiently. Jemima bit her lip and returned his glare-shaking her shoulders away from him.

"I need to go to Misto!"

"Mi..who?" Finnegan titled his head, before he turned his face back to the front door and waited for the sounds of the car doors closing.

"We have to wait until they leave."

"What for?"

"Your friend is gonna need some water, among other things. I have to wait until they are both gone before playing doctor here, kitty." His bushy eyebrow raised at Jemima. "Unless you want them to find him out. How do you think that will go over?"

Jemima hissed under her breath but regarded the dog knowingly; running her paws down her face as they both listened for the car to pull out of the driveway. Finnegan walked into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge, reaching in and tossing Jemima a small bottle of water that she barely caught.

When she went to go back outside, Finnegan followed with more water in one paw, and his food bowl in another. "I can't believe I've given up half my meals this weekend to _cats_."

Jemima would have bounced back a retort to his sass under any other circumstances, but her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Mistoffelees. She ran as fast and awkwardly as she could, given her bad leg, and nearly tripped as she skidded to a halt under the tree-her head whipping back and forth heedlessly when she saw Misto was not where she left him.

"_WHERE-"_

Finnegan hushed Jemima before she could squeak out her concern and used his head to notion up to the tree.

"I wasn't sure how long it would take them to leave, so I had to improvise a…safer hiding spot for him."

Jemima froze and stared up at the tree, before looking Finnegan over cautiously. "….You _climbed_ up a tree?"

"…Let's go with that."

An uncomfortable pause lingered between the two animals, but the sound of a small groan from the cat above them was enough to push Jemima's agitation out of her mind.

"Give me a boost, please." Jemima took two water bottles and balanced them against her chest, her other paw reaching up and clawing into the massive tree trunk. Finnegan placed his food down and carefully lifted the queen up as high as he could-supporting her weight as she haphazardly pulled herself up into the tree.

Misto was laying face first on the wooden planks, his back legs and tail bent up in an unflattering way. Jemima let out a loud gasp and scattered over to her friend, turning him over and laying his head on her lap.

"You good?" Finnegan called from below.

"You _threw _him up here, didn't you?"

Finnegan waited a moment, before his scratchy little laugh filled the air.

"In my defense I was raised to believe cats always landed on their feet!"

"He is _unconscious _Finn!"

Finnegan shrugged his shoulders even though Jemima clearly couldn't see his nonchalant response. She instead decided to focus on Misto, and carefully began to clean his face-she took a little water and used it to clear away the dirt and sweat from his brow.

"Misto…" Her voice was a whisper, and she moved to awkwardly support him in a more upright position. "You need something to drink…please wake up."

Jemima held the bottle of water to his lips and allowed the smallest amount to drip out, but the water slipped right down his chin and onto his chest. Jemima started whimpering.

"Stop doing that-" Finnegan called below; he had walked back far enough to see them through the branches. "You'll drown him." Finnegan smiled. "Just throw a little on his face!"

"That is a horrible thing to do!" She blinked back tears and made a face towards the dog.

"It will wake him up."

Finnegan sounded confident, and Jemima realized she wasn't in a position to do much else, other than listen to the retired solider. She let out a small sigh, whispered a quick apology, and quickly squeezed the water bottle as hard she could-water bursting out and splattering against Misto's face. She heard a garbled sound emerge from the tom, before he quickly shook his head and let out a large gasp.

"Misto!" Jemima squeaked, putting the bottle of water down and quickly lifting her paws to his cheeks-trying in vain to rub them dry. "I'm so sorry! I needed to wake you up and-"

Misto blinked a few times and turned to look at Jemima, his eyes gradually getting wider as she rambled on.

"_There you are!" _

Jemima swallowed as he cut off her stammering, and gasped as he reached for her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I was so worried about you!" Misto's voice sounded strained, and it was, but there was no way for Jemima to know it was due to his emotions and not physical state.

"…You were looking for me?" Jemima's voice was small; guilt suddenly washing over her features.

Misto pulled back a bit hastily and frowned at her, though it only lasted a few seconds before his wide smile returned and he pushed his forehead into her own; affectionately nuzzling her there.

"Of course I was! When I found your ribbon I-" Mistoffelees paused suddenly, and Jemima saw him staring down at her leg, his expression immediately turning dark.

"Jemima, what happened to you?"

Jemima swallowed uneasily at the abrupt anger she could hear in his voice, and for a split second the anxieties she had that morning returned, but when she met his eyes his posture relaxed a bit, and his frown became gentler. Jemima turned her face away and sighed, closing her eyes as she felt Misto delicately placing a paw on her ankle.

"It is a long and ridiculous kind of story..."

* * *

**A/N: If it seems like this was an awkward place to end this chapter, that is because it is. I had to though, because the next chapter will be the final one and it is going to be a bit long-I needed to cut this off :) sorry about that. **

**Also, Misto, if you can read the bus schedule why didn't you just take the bus? (I know, but then his arrival would have been a bit anti-climatic ;D) **

**I also tend to have a guilty pleasure of imagining what unique scents the cats might have towards one another. Thanks for indulging me on that :) I try to match their personalities...I chose a minty smell for Misto, since peppermint is suppose to energize you, and Misto can literally make energy right from his paws! (Again, Misto, why was it such a struggle to get to the house?...hush LOL) I chose the lemon/grass scent for Jemima because lemon essential oil is a very uplifting mood enhancer, and Jemima is just a bundle of joy! ...Again, thanks for indulging me haha. **


End file.
